


Universal Truths

by I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Family, Fanfiction, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Man-DAD-lorian, Mando'a, RESPECT FIRST, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Star Wars References, Thief protagonist, no beta we die like men, post-Season 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24497122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess/pseuds/I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess
Summary: Denied the knowledge of her father's identity by a mother she resents, Anwyn travels the galaxy in hopes of discovering the paternal half of her lineage. Though when hiding from Imperials devolves into accidentally hitching a ride with a bounty hunter and his foundling, she figures the safest path is to stick with the man wearing the beskar. Very slow burn. Language.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV) & Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 64





	1. Anwyn, And The Worst Luck Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. I am new to writing for anything having to do with Star Wars. I've tried as hard as possible to keep it canon-compliant, but please let me know of area I can improve. Thanks!

In the terms of how badly someone could screw something up...Anwyn was majorly, most definitely, _fucked_.

The Imperial transport vehicle she'd broken into had been unexpectedly filled with former troopers. It had sat there awhile, at least an hour with no activity, and she'd even scoped it out in advance just to be sure. Naturally, she expected it to be empty and unguarded given the circumstances. In hindsight, her optimism and self-assured ability had really led her astray.

The longer she thought back, the more she felt that it had been a trap designed specifically for someone like her. Or, even more specifically, Anwyn herself. She supposed stealing from the Imps so frequently hadn't been the smartest move on her part, but the promise of high-value materials from their storehouses was just too good to pass up.

And now with a patrol of ex-troopers on her ass that showed zero signs of stopping, it was at times like these that Anwyn really had to curse her shit decision-making.

Chest pained with each labored breath desperately sucked into her lungs, hastily weaving through the narrow streets of Toopil's inner city, every thundering footstep behind her felt closer and closer with each passing second. They must be gaining on her. They _had_ to be. She wasn't stupid enough to think for one second she was getting away or losing them. Hell, she was surprised they hadn't yet started shooting, the innocent bystanders in the street be damned.

She dashed an impulsive left down a small alley in between two shop fronts, kicking aside a trashcan and startling the unfortunate vagrant who'd been sleeping beside it. He called out in a language she couldn't understand-the tone behind it was _clearly_ angry, though-but she had already reached the other end and slipped back into the main street, ignoring him. There was no time for apologies.

The high-rising smooth stone maze of the buildings kept her confused, unsure of her position within the city anymore. Only now did she curse Rodia's lack of directional signs in Galactic Basic. None of the surroundings rushing past her looked familiar, either. Had she really traveled so far? Or was she heading the opposite direction of where she'd come from? Shit...

The Rodian natives and foreign travelers only paid her a curious glance, none bothering to step in and stop her,. They simply stepped aside to avoid being trampled or barged into in her blistering speed, and left whoever was chasing her to handle their own problems. Nobody was brave or stupid enough to play a hero for the troopers after her. Fortunately.

She risked a glance back and saw two troopers emerge from the alley, seeing her through the gaps in the crowd and taking off after her. There were certainly more following closely behind.

"Fuck..." She rasped out in a short breath, turning forward and weighing her options. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up to her. She could only run so long. She needed a hiding place, and fast.

Green eyes searched frantically for some sort of respite, some solution to her problem. Rodia's buildings were made predominantly of old, smooth stone, meaning that scaling them without proper equipment was nearly impossible. And most shop fronts didn't have much of an interior. Thanks to the environment-shielding domes that covered the cities and prevented bad weather, most of the business done here was outside in the open under tarps and cloth awnings.

It wasn't until things began looking familiar did her luck turn. A certain noodles shop on a corner jogged her memory, and she turned right down the main street into familiar territory. The hangars and landing bays were just up ahead. Thank the gods, Anwyn had found her answer.

Gathering what remaining stamina she had left and ignoring the way the bottom of her feet burned in her boots, she pushed herself to keep going, making a beeline for the first bay that would grant her access. Luckily, the crowds around such a place were more densely packed, giving her some sort of cover to possibly slip away. It would only slow them down a moment, but it would have to be enough.

The troopers behind her kept demanding she stop, but it fell from her hearing as she eyed the large, silver ship docked in Bay 3. She didn't recognize it as anything Imperial or New Republic. Maybe a trader or merchant. Either way, the cargo bay ramp was open and welcoming, inviting her within it's depths to hide until the danger had passed. It would have to do.

With several hard thumps on the metal, she was up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. Cargo containers were strapped down on either side, giving some semblance of cover from those outside the ship, but she was looking for something a little more reliable. The bay was small, but a quick glance above confirmed that it did indeed have rafters to provide extra storage. Perfect.

Climbing on top of the highest stack of crates, she hoisted herself up onto the beams of the cargo bay rafters, shimmying further in to avoid being seen, and settled herself in a small little nook that provided the most cover possible. It was uncomfortable and tight, and the edge of a metal beam dug into her side, but she highly doubted any troopers would think to check here.

Her heaving breaths began to slow, but she was forced to hold it once more when the sound of the troopers came closer than she preferred to the ship. They circled the exterior, searching the bay for any sign of their missing fugitive. A few even took some cautious steps up the ramp and into the inside, but it became clear they were in too much of a hurry to do a thorough search.

Anwyn's lungs felt like they were on fire, burning a hole in her chest as the need to breathe began to outweigh her desire to keep quiet. It was quite a task to release the pent up air without noise and breathe slowly, her instinct to suck in breaths as quickly as she could manage.

Finally, the sounds began to recede, fading from earshot as they left to check the next landing bay. Anwyn allowed a few moments of frantic huffing and panting, seeking to replenish her oxygen while she could in case they circled back around in a few moments. Her forehead lowered until it rested on the metal beam of the rafter. Even if only for the moment, she could enjoy this small feeling of relief that she wouldn't be killed or imprisoned.

The adrenaline pumping through her system began to wean away as the area calmed down again, now that the immediate danger had passed. There was no guarantee that the troopers hadn't set up strategically placed lookouts around the hangars, in case she managed to hide and try to double back. It would be best to wait a bit before making another move.

Her limbs felt heavy and achy after the entire encounter. The act of shifting in place left her wincing. Her eyelids drooped and, stupidly, she thought to herself that a moment's rest, just a minute or two of closing her eyes, wouldn't do any harm.

Well, she'd never claimed to be a genius.

* * *

What startled her awake hours later was the heavy footsteps of someone on the cargo ramp accompanied with a torrent of desperate pleading that they be released. She nearly jumped awake, but the tight space thankfully prevented most of it anyway.

Masking some of the conversation was the grating metal of the cargo ramp closing up. It took a few seconds to realize what was happening, but as events began to catch up with her, Anwyn clenched her fists tightly to prevent from wanting to scramble down and out of the ship.

_No, no no no...!_

It was too late. With a hiss, the ramp sealed itself back in place with the ship's hull, and her only known escape route was cut off. She was trapped inside and clearly the owner had returned. Things were taking a turn for the worst. The pleading continued.

"Whatever they're paying you, I-I can double it! I swear! You don't have to do this, please!" The woman begged, fear enveloping her voice. "My entire savings, all the credits I have...j-just take it all and let me go!"

"Not gonna happen." A modulated voice casually replied, and Anwyn couldn't decide whether it was rough or smooth. Some mixture of the two.

There was a scuffle of feet, and feminine grunts of struggle, before a terrified cry and the loud hissing sound of a machine in the ship. A carbon freezer if she wasn't mistaken. Eyes wide and fixed on the ceiling of the ship, she listened to the hiss of the chamber enclose the woman in carbon material, her cries being cut off. Despite wanting to know just who and what she was dealing with, her instinct for self-preservation kept her firmly in place upon the rafters, afraid that any movement would be heard to the person below.

At this point, she could reasonably assume she was dealing with a bounty hunter, based on the woman's words and the presence of a carbonite chamber on the ship. That just made things all the more unfortunate.

And then, inexplicably, she could hear the sounds of...a baby? Soft and curious cooing noises came from somewhere below her, and her brows furrowed. What the hell sort of ship had she stepped inside? Babies and bounty hunters? There wasn't a logical explanation in the world she would believe to explain what the hell was going on.

A modulated sigh could be heard, before he began to walk towards the cooing. "No, you can't eat that. Spit it out."

The coos began again, but eventually both the baby and the man's footsteps became too distant for her to make out. Her heart was hammering in her chest, nearly to the point where'd she fear that he could hear it himself. She tried thinking of some desperate plan to get herself off the ship, but it seems much too dangerous to leave her hiding spot, lest she run into whoever the bounty hunter was.

Above her, the whirring of machinery rose in pitch, the tell tale signs of a power up and activation. A launch sequence was being initiated. Great. _Just_ great.

She had no idea what their destination would be, or even who these people were. Were they going into hyperspace? Or just a short trip somewhere else on the planet? The sinking feeling in her gut told her it probably wasn't the latter.

Living as a thief and a drifter, she was no stranger to hitching rides without the ship pilot's knowledge or permission. However, normally she was a lot more prepared for the trip. This wasn't how this was supposed to turn out. All she'd wanted was a temporary hiding spot from the Imps.

The quiet hum grew in tone and intensity, until she felt the sensation of being pressed into the rafter beam from the g-force. Her sense of annoyance was only overshadowed by the dread that she was in for a very long journey with this stranger.

* * *

Even after the lights in the cargo hold had been extinguished, she still hadn't moved. Eyes firmly fixed to a spot in front of her, Anwyn continued to wait. And then wait some more. Until she was absolutely certain that they had retired to their rooms to sleep. And even then, some small part of her told her to stay put just in case someone woke in the middle of the night to use the refresher.

But she was hungry. Starving, actually, as she had been too preoccupied with netting herself some expensive military-grade weapons from that transport to think about it. Being short on credits didn't help the matter, and it had offered motivation enough to figure out something to steal and sell at the time. Too bad that transport hadn't worked out.

Which meant her stomach was growling up a storm, twisting her abdomen harshly from denying it food for so long. She winced, pressing a hand into her body to try relieving it, but to no avail. It pushed her to do something about it, no matter how stupid or reckless it might be. Surely the bounty hunter would have a cupboard with food in it somewhere?

Her boots on the metal flooring of the ship would definitely cause more noise than she cared for. Anwyn shifted slowly from her place in the rafters, bringing one knee up so she could reach her boots from her prone position. She slipped the first off, setting it on the beam beside her, then repeated the action on the other foot. With only socks covering her feet, she slowly pushed herself towards the end of the beam and closer to the stack of crates she'd used to get up there in the first place.

Everything was dark, save for some small lights on some of the machinery. Having grown accustomed to the darkness by now, it wasn't so bad to see, but it still left her mildly uncomfortable to not have any source of light in a hostile place like this. The back of her neck itched, annoyingly reminding her that she could so easily be caught.

She sat at the edge of the rafter, easing herself down onto the crate and settling her weight onto the top. Being a thief had its perks, she thought, used to moving around as quietly as possible. At least the skill was coming in handy now.

Making it to the floor, she gave the cargo hold a closer inspection, something she hadn't had the time for when being pursued by the troopers. Though dark, she could tell that most of the room was bare, save for the stacks of crates on either side. There was still lots of room for anything that the bounty hunter might think to put here, but none of the cargo looked special or particularly important. It was plain, functional, and not much else.

Her socks were silent on the metal flooring, and Anwyn crept closer to the end of the room. In the furthest left corner was a refresher, and in front of that, a ladder to the level above. Well, there didn't appear to be anywhere else to go but up. Her hand closed around one of the rungs, letting out a steadying breath.

The gentle hum of the ship's engine as they continued in hyperspace would normally be a comforting noise, but it just reinforced the fact that she was stuck on the this ship until they landed, much to her chagrin. Perhaps she could distinguish from the navigational computer what their ultimate destination would be. But first, food, as her growling stomach painfully reminded.

Anwyn peaked her head up just above the edge of the floor above, looking around for any evidence of someone being awake, however this level was just as dark as the one below. Save for the blue-purple swirling light from the hyperspace travel which did give her some light to work with. A few more rungs and she made it up, picking the closest door she found to look through first.

To her left was the cockpit, but she wasn't interested in that just yet, so she turned to the other few doors available. The first led down a hallway, and the second into a small side room. Anwyn didn't want to be lurking around too long, and turned to the small side room first, hoping that would be the most logical place for a kitchen of sorts.

For the first time that day, something hadn't gone completely wrong. She smiled, seeing a small sink and counter with accompanying cupboards and drawers that indicated a kitchen-like room. She crept to one of them and opened it up, disappointed to find it so sparse. In fact, the only thing she could find within it were the non-perishable ration kits that were really only meant for survival situations. They were the cheapest alternative to actual food, and she honestly tried avoiding them if at all possible. Why eat like you had no other options?

This wasn't a situation where she could be picky, however, so she grabbed one. It took a lot of effort not to grab more, lest the bounty hunter notice-one could be written off as not paying attention to your ship inventory, but any more and there could be suspicions. Silently, she pressed the cupboard closed again, turning to leave the room with her stolen dinner.

The ship really was eerie. Anwyn had never been stupid enough to hitch a ride on a bounty hunter's ship. The great risk of getting caught left her feeling uneasy the entire time, even if she trusted in her ability to remain silent as she moved through the ship.

A careful ear was straining to hear any out-of-place noise. The slightest sense of movement or sign of consciousness from those inside and she would have to pull her blaster. She didn't like the thought of being found out and having to resort to fighting. It wasn't her best quality. Anwyn was a little hopeless when it came to straight combat. Hopefully she could just manage to hide up in the rafters until they reached their destination.

Her sock-clad feet made their way back to the ladder, holding the ration pack between her teeth. Her eyes caught the cockpit again and hesitated. She needed to know where they were going, how long she'd be stuck aboard. Ignoring the little voice in her head that told her to get the hell back to her hiding place, she crept in between the pilot's and passenger's chair, eyeing the controls and navigational screen.

Sparing a paranoid glance behind her, she tapped on the navigational screen, and it lit up a bright green against the black backdrop. Thankfully, most models of nav maps were universally similar, so she didn't have a problem finding her way to the hyperspace routes. She followed the line the route computer had plotted, eyes tracing over the green-lit future flight path before settling on a blip on the screen, marked with the galactic grid data.

"Bothawui?" She mutters, unfamiliar with the planet. Probably some back-water place with barely a population. Chances are that was where the bounty he'd taken was located. Having a low population might make for a tricky escape from the ship, and an even trickier time getting back off the planet later. She shook her head, seeing that by the computer's navigation, they wouldn't arrive for another-

The hair on the back of her neck bristled, and she tensed the second she felt a presence behind her, closing the distance quickly. Gasping in shock, she drew the blaster on her waist, turning in place to aim at whoever was behind her, but they were fast. And anticipating her to do exactly so.

A gloved hand snatched her wrist and twisted to the side. She cried out, accidentally pulling the trigger and shooting a bolt into the ceiling. Ultimately, she couldn't help but let go of the blaster out of reflex, and the weapon clattered to the metal flooring at her feet. With a harsh pull, the bounty hunter yanked her down to collapse near the ladder to the cargo hold, away from her weapon.

Anwyn had no time to try getting away or drawing her knife, as her arms were secured tightly against her back in the strong grip of the bounty hunter. His knee planted firmly in her back, pressing her face into the grated floor. The business end of a blaster shoved itself into the side of her cheek. She tried looking up at him from the corner of her eye but it was dark and it hurt to look so far to the left.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't throw you in the carbonite chamber." He spat through the voice modulator, and she swallowed thickly. The seriousness was clear in his tone.

"Look, I know what this must seem like to you..." She started through gritted teeth and a forced nervous laugh, squirming as a sudden feeling of claustrophobia overtook her. "But I just needed a place to hide, and the Imps were after me. I meant to leave once the coast was clear, but I ended up hitching a ride by mistake."

"I can see that." He said shortly, and the end of his blaster barrel didn't let up from your skin. It was cold, and the way it didn't waver meant he probably wouldn't hesitate to use it if he felt like it. "Why _my_ ship? There were plenty at the port."

"The ramp was open, and I didn't exactly have the time to stop and think about what to do. It was my best chance of getting away." Anwyn breathed through her nose, trying to calm down and remain casual. "I didn't know it was your ship. I don't even know who the hell you _are_."

"Why were you running from the Imps?"

She swallowed, wondering if admitting she was a thief to a bounty hunter was really the best career move. He seemed like the type that could tell if she lied, though. When she didn't respond quick enough, his knee forced her further into the floor, and she wheezed out a breath.

"Ow, fuck! Alright...I tried stealing weapons from one of their transports, but it was a set-up. Just wanted to sell them for some quick credits." She explained through the pain in her back and shoulders.

The man holding her down said nothing, perhaps weighing if he believed her or not. Maybe she could somehow convince him that it wasn't worth his time or the carbon to freeze her. Hopefully.

A quiet coo drew her attention, and a little green...thing, waddled into her line of sight from the darkness. Dressed in some sort of tan robe, his large ears rose upon seeing her looking at him. It was obviously a child by the way its eyes were so big and guileless. What it was exactly, she couldn't even begin to guess. Its species was one she'd never seen before.

"Stay back." The man chastised, and the kid looked up at him curiously.

Anwyn sighed, still confused as all hell as to why a baby was on a bounty hunter's ship, but figured maybe she didn't want to know.

"Obviously this is all a _big_ misunderstanding, a lapse in my judgement." She started, hoping having the child around would maybe leave him open to negotiation. "You don't want me here and I don't want to be here, so we're really after the same thing. I'll get off your ship the second we land and then we never have to see each other again, yeah?"

"You could be after him." The bounty hunter said, and she frowned.

"Him?"

"The kid."

Anwyn glanced at the green child again, and shook her head as much as possible while still being pressed into the grated floor by a blaster barrel. "Why would I be after him? I don't know what I look like to you but I'm not in the business of stealing people. I'm a _thief_ , not a slave trader."

"What's your name?" He asked, and she sighed again. So many questions...

"Anwyn Kallos, from Ord Mantell." She didn't see the benefit to lying.

Eventually, the blaster barrel left her cheek and she heard him holster it. "I don't recognize you as a bounty hunter or ex-imperial, so I'm not just gonna kill you."

The brunette breathed out in relief, but immediately tensed when she felt binders latching her wrists together behind her back. Her eyes rolled. "Oh, come on..."

Her captor didn't respond, and grabbed her arm to haul her up from the floor. She staggered a second, getting used to being upright, before facing the bounty hunter head on.

Well. She certainly hadn't been expecting a Mandalorian as the face-or _helmet_ , she supposed-behind the voice. Her annoyance gave way to curiosity, eyeing the shiny silver armor that reflected the swirling colors of hyperspace illuminating them from the cockpit.

Ignoring her staring, he spun her in place, shoved her unkindly against the wall, and gave her a quick body search for any weapons. Anwyn had to admit that he was thorough, if anything. Her own patience was waning at what she knew were unnecessary precautions, but she supposed if their places were switched, she wouldn't take what an intruder told her at face value either.

She looked around while he patted her down, again spotting the little green child tottling around by her feet. He cocked his head to the side, watching with interest as his companion searched her. Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "What is he, anyway?"

"Quiet."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, deciding it was better to just pretend the thing didn't exist. Riling up the bounty hunter with questions wouldn't gain her anything. At least, until she felt the creature grab onto her leg with its tiny little hands. The bounty hunter noticed immediately.

"Hey, get away from her." The Mandalorian snapped, temporarily letting go of his prisoner and picking the child up. He set him several feet away and immediately went back to what he'd been doing. Anwyn hadn't made a move. No use giving the guy any reason to shoot her or feel like she was a threat.

He pulled the knife from the small sheath on her belt and tossed it beside her forgotten blaster. Satisfied that he hadn't missed any hidden weapons, he grabbed her arm and started pushing her towards the ladder. And although she managed to step down the first two rungs, he didn't bother stopping her as her socks slipped on the metal and she took a hard tumble to the ground below.

"Ugh!" She cried, landing on her side with a loud thump. The impact was centered around the back of her shoulder, catching her arms in the collateral. From the way it painfully flared to life, there would be a nasty bruise all along her limbs later. "Fuck..."

She shuffled to her knees, and the bounty hunter landed on the ground beside her, unceremoniously hauling her to stand again by her good arm. Small mercies he didn't touch the now-injured one. She looked up, spotting the carbon freezer, and then stopped dead. So, he was icing her after all.

"Look...no need to use up your carbonite on me...I was only trying to survive back on Rodia, didn't mean to be any trouble. And I won't cause you any other problems..." She started rambling a little, but the Mandalorian only pushed her past the chamber, sighing through his helmet.

"I'm not freezing you. Now shut up."

The sheer relief was enough for her to obey his command, and he led Anwyn towards the back of the cargo bay where she'd originally hid. They walked to the side wall of the bay, and he kicked the back of her knees in, making her kneel by the floor uncomfortably. A tether was looped around her locked wrists then attached securely to a rail bolted into the hull. She wasn't going anywhere now.

"I'll release you when we get to Bothawui, then we'll go our separate ways." He told her, standing a few feet away with crossed arms. Anwyn couldn't tell by his tone what he was feeling, and the helmet certainly wasn't providing any clues. "Until then, you'll stay locked there."

Anwyn released a tired breath, totally over this whole proceeding. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You can't take the chance of trusting me. I'm not gonna try to escape. Not like I have anywhere to go even if I did."

The helmet was silent, the black 'T' of the visor staring at her hard. She shifted her shoulders to be more comfortable, until he eventually dropped his arms and walked back towards the ladder that would bring him to the upper deck.

And with that, she was alone.

"Great." Anwyn let out with a sigh, leaning her head back against the hull. "At least you're not dead..."


	2. Talks, And The Child

Anwyn didn't know at what point she'd fallen asleep, but she suddenly became aware of gaining consciousness again. Her shoulders ached, and she sucked in a breath, wincing at how her body ached from sitting against the ship's hull for so long. Her stint in the rafters hadn't been comfortable, but the awkward angle the binders forced her in now only exacerbated it.

The brunette her back as far as she could to pop her spine. She opened her eyes, blinking away the fog and fatigue, before looking around the cargo bay. No change, and at the very least she wasn't dead or frozen in carbonite. A win in her book.

Man, had she been stupid. Grabbing the ration pack must have caused some noise loud enough for the bounty hunter to hear, but Anwyn had been cautious. She'd been quieter than a mouse droid, and still he'd taken her by surprise. How had he moved like that with all the beskar on him, anyway?

A soft scuttling sound caught her attention, and she tried peering past a crate set to her right, wondering what had caused it. Her eyes narrowed, listening for it again, but it was silent. It had been the faintest brush of noise, like fabric against metal, or feathers. Or fur. Maybe the Mandalorian had a pet? Honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise her. He had a kid with him, after all.

 _Whatever_ , she though to herself, closing her eyes and settling back against the wall to rest her eyes. If only the bounty hunter had been thoughtful enough to leave her with some cards or something to pass the time. She had yet to really perfect the art of Sabbac, but maybe the trip to Bothawui could've given her time to practice. Oh, right. Wrists trapped behind her back. There went that possibility.

Again, the noise sounded closer this time. And her eyes snapped open, searching everywhere for a source. Nothing, still. There was no way it was just herself hearing things. It had to be something. "Who's there?" She asked, then felt stupid about it afterwards.

No response, of course. Just the gentle rumble of the ship in hyperspace. Swallowing past the nerves that were rising in her chest, she leaned back against the wall and waited, watching back and forth for any sign of the thing.

A few minutes past without incident. Eventually, her suspicion lowering as nothing further happened, Anwyn blinked a few times and settled back against the hull. The more time passed, the more she thought that perhaps it had just been from the Mandalorian or the kid up above.

She hissed in a breath, startling in place, as something metal landed on the ground right next to her. The sudden appearance of the child not a foot away from her was jarring, and her heart thumped painfully in her chest. A little metal ball sat resting against her leg. Perhaps he'd dropped it.

The kid just stood there, staring up at her from over the top of his robe's collar. His ears lowered and his head tilted down ever so slightly, perhaps in response to her violent reaction. Anwyn let out a breath.

"Uh...hi."

He blinked. She blinked back. What did it want? Why was it down here? Surely the bounty hunter didn't know. He'd been very keen to keep him away from her the night before. The creature was pretty small and quiet, so maybe he'd just snuck off to explore.

"What's your name?" She decided to ask after awhile. Obviously the kid didn't know how to talk yet, because his ears perked up and he only cooed quietly in response. Then, he took tiny steps towards her, reaching one of his tiny hands upwards. Anwyn frowned, edging away as he came closer.

"You shouldn't be here kid. If the bounty hunter finds you-" Her sentence was cut off by the child grabbing onto the end of her hair. He pulled a little and he was surprisingly strong for something so small. " _Ow_ , let go!"

If she could have used her hands to push him away, she would have. However, they were currently still tethered to a rail attached to the ship, so she was at this kid's mercy. He simply moved the strands in his hand back and forth, playing and experimenting on finding out what they were, or simply because he was bored.

Anwyn huffed a breath. "Come on, little guy...Go away, shoo..." No amount of suggestion on her part was working. Instead, he just looked up at her with the first smile she'd seen it make. And damn her if it wasn't an adorable fucking sight to behold.

"No, you're not allowed to do that. Stop...smiling. It's too cute." She begged half-heartedly, but felt her resolve slipping as the little guy finally let go of her hair and began attempting to climb into her lap. "You're gonna make me call the Mandalorian down here, aren't you?"

She knew it was probably a good idea to tell her captor that the kid was here, lest he panic and then jump to conclusions thta she'd somehow kidnapped him. She didn't relish the sight of being thrown in the carbonite chamber just because the kid got curious. But, honestly, she was bored. And a little lonely down here in the hold. For a few minutes, maybe she could enjoy the little thing's company.

He finally managed to climb onto her lap, and stood facing her. His tiny, three-fingered hand reached up again, but this time for her face. She closed her eyes, feeling it touch the skin of her cheek with wonder. Then it drifted to her nose and mouth, exploring her flesh slowly. She opened her eyes again, staring into the big, bright ones of the child. The startling innocence there is what made her really confused with this whole thing.

"What's a child like you doing with a bounty hunter?" She whispered, letting him extend his reach to the hair of her eyebrows and then to her eyelids, closing her eyes again so he wouldn't poke them. When they opened, she saw that cute little smile directed at her again. "Where are your parents?"

Naturally, the kid only let out amused coos, touching her mouth that moved with every word. She smiled sadly, gaze flicking over to the direction of the ladder. "Maybe he's taking you back home? Is that it?"

Seemingly satisfied with his exploration of her facial features, the kid adjusted his position and leaned into her chest, resting his head on her sternum. Anwyn took in a breath, not expecting him to try sleeping on her. This...was a little awkward. She didn't mind the actual sleeping on her part, but she felt even more worried about what the bounty hunter would say if he just found them this way. Cute kid be damned, the thief was keen on not being frozen.

With a resigned sigh, she lifted her foot and banged it against the closest crate a few times. Surprisingly, the kid didn't even stir, either used to loud noises or pointedly ignoring her. She didn't hear any movement from the bounty hunter above, so she kicked a few more times, this time a little harder.

"Hey...Mandalorian?" She called, careful not to cause the kid to tumble off her chest and onto the floor. "Need a little help here."

That did it. Footsteps above came closer, until she saw his boots and then the rest of him descend down the ladder. He turned to face her, then stopped, immediately spotting the issue. He let out a sigh through the modulator.

"Not that I mind it but...I'm sure you do." She explained with a tiny shrug, looking down at the sleeping kid. He was just as cute now as he was with his eyes open. "He's a pretty heavy sleeper."

The man uttered something she couldn't decipher, but shook his head.

"He...tends to wander." The Mandalorian stepped closer, then reached down to pick the kid up from her chest, gently settling him on his right pauldron.

"I don't doubt it. Kids get into everything." She responded. The weight lifted from her, but she sort of missed it.

The kid didn't stir, and he stood straight again, staring down at his captive. "It won't happen again."

He turned his back, returning to the ladder, but Anwyn couldn't help but ask, "Why is he with you, anyway? What happened to his parents?"

The Mandalorian stopped. Anwyn expected a short, cutting reply that she should mind her business and be quiet, but instead there was nothing. He was simply silent. And without any sort of answer, he left the cargo hold, carrying the child up with him.

The brunette's head fell back against the hull. So much for a little conversation.

* * *

The Mandalorian returned to the cargo hold later on, carrying a cup and one of the ration packs that she'd tried stealing. The thought of food made her stomach rumble. She never _did_ get a chance to eat that pack.

The bounty hunter must have noticed her surprise as he set the items on a crate beside her, stooping to unlock one of her wrists. "You thought I was going to starve you?"

"We didn't exactly have a _great_ first impression." She stated bluntly. Noticing the way his hand hovered at his blaster, she waiting until he'd stepped back several feet before moving her arm forward to grab the ration pack. "I try not to assume someone will be nice to me. Especially after I try stealing something of theirs."

He sat on one of the crates, watching as she opened the plastic packaging and tore off a piece of the dehydrated meat to pop in her mouth. After a few seconds, Anwyn realized he was going to stay there until she was done, and then lock her back up again. The corner of her mouth lifted.

"What, you think I might get through these tethers with a ration pack and a plastic cup?" The helmet's unwavering stare was her only answer, affirming a silent yes, he somehow anticipated she'd try to pull exactly that. Amused by his caution she shook her head, tearing off a piece of meat with her teeth. "I'm not that stupid, Mandalorian. There's nowhere for me to go out here in hyperspace. I'm not out to cause you problems."

"I've heard that before."

"I'm sure you have." She said. "But I actually _mean_ it."

Now that they weren't fighting each other in the darkness of the ship, she actually got a better look at the man who'd captured her. Every inch of skin was covered. The only reason she knew him to be human was the distinct proportions and physiology, and the fact that he had five fingers on each hand. As to his planetary origin or appearance, she had no indications whatsoever.

The silver Mandalorian armor was shiny, well-kept. It stood out predominantly from the rest of the ensemble, but the gleaming crest of what she thought to be a mudhorn on his pauldron caught her attention.

"Eyeing my armor, thief?" He asked evenly and without surprise, but she scoffed.

"Stealing beskar from your people is a death wish. You're just the first one I've seen in a long time. Can't help but be curious."

"And I can't help but wonder why a thief from Ord Mantell is here in the Outer Rim." He said. "You're a long way from home."

"Ord Mantell isn't home." She corrected immediately, unsure why she felt the need to tell him this. It...just bothered her. "It's just the only place I remember growing up in."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No."

To stop herself from saying anything else, she took a long drink of the water he'd provided her, relishing the way it felt going down her throat. The cup hadn't been that big. A few gulps and it was all gone. Damn. It didn't feel like enough. Anwyn glanced up at her companion. "Don't suppose I could get some more?"

"Later."

"Right..." She set the cup aside, realizing he wasn't going anywhere until he tethered her free wrist back to the railing. Her attention focused on the rest of the dehydrated meat, slowly eating at it.

The bounty hunter leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I searched your name in the guild database, though I assumed you'd given a fake one. Turns out you've got a few bounties scattered about the Colonies and Mid Rim. Theft, destruction of property...You're a hard one to catch, Anwyn."

"My current situation says otherwise." She replied neutrally, wondering why he was bringing it up. She watched him with a blank expression. "What about them? Planning on turning me in?"

His helmet tilted, then finally gave a single shake. "The payments wouldn't even cover fuel to get to the nearest planet. So, no. Unless you give me another reason to."

"Thanks...I guess."

Anwyn ate the last of her meal as she mulled that information over. So, her biggest fear of being turned in was quelled, for now. There was no telling if she could trust his word on anything, of course, but her gut feeling said she could. The guy was toting around a child, for stars sake. He had to have some honor about him. Mandalorians were known for it.

"You never answered my question."

His statement interrupted her thoughts, drawing her eyes again. Anwyn frowned. "What question?"

"Why so far from Ord Mantell? Why hop systems just to steal from an Imperial transport on Rodia?" He concluded, and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Traveling, drifting, seeing the sights. You know, the usual." Was her answer, shrugging nonchalantly. "As for the stealing...I just ran out of credits along the way, and a lady's gotta eat somehow."

Her eyes met the black emptiness of his visor, daring him to call her out. Even without seeing his eyes, she could tell he didn't believe her for one second. Sure, it was a lie, but he wasn't exactly spilling his life story, either. An answer for an answer, that felt fair.

Without breaking her gaze, she grabbed the plastic cup and held it out to him. "Thanks for the food and water."

He took the cup, but also grabbed her wrist in the same movement, guiding it so he could bind it once more to the railing. Anwyn took her restraint with resignation, knowing it would be a long way still to Bothawui.

* * *

The one thing about being confined to the cargo bay was that most vessels didn't have adjustable air control systems for that portion of the ship, since most passengers were expected to stay in the upper levels of this, Anwyn was constantly in a state of being just slightly too cold to be comfortable despite her socks and layered clothing. She made do, catching sleep when she could, but overall it wasn't a pleasant experience.

So when something extremely warm settled onto her chest after the lights had been extinguished for the night, she woke at the sudden change in temperature. She looked down through a tired fog, spotting a familiar green and tan creature curled up on top of her. She had no idea how long the kid been there, or how he got out of wherever the Mandalorian put him to bed, but she didn't mind the mild amount of warmth having him there provided.

"Hey, little man." She croaked in a quiet mutter, shifting to get a bit more comfortable. "Pretty sure you're not allowed to be down here with me."

The child just continued breathing deeply and slowly, eyes closed as he was lost to the comfort of sleep. Logic suggested calling for the Mandalorian again, but the pull of rest was just too much. Right now, she decided she'd deal with him in the morning, if it caused a problem.

Anwyn yawned, closing her own eyes and slowly slipping back into restful sleep. "That's alright. I won't tell if you don't..."


	3. Circumstance, And Selfless Actions

"Alright, bring 'em on down!" Cried the landing bay technician with a wave.

The Mandalorian kept her in place with a grasp on the tethers around her wrists. She really paid it no mind, instead watching the Bothawui port workers guide the two slabs of carbonite with their unfortunate victims inside down the ramp and towards a receiving building. The female Twi'lek, whom Anwyn assumed she'd heard get frozen when up in the rafters, wore an expression of sheer terror, her eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open in a silent scream. The other held a Dug, snout contorted in a sneer of anger or rage. She wondered what he had done, or where the Mandalorian had captured him.

A stern shove sent her stumbling down the ramp a few feet after the workers. The brunette managed to keep herself upright, maintaining her footing and looking up at the helmeted bounty hunter with a glare. She glanced down to see him holding the tethers that had kept her wrists behind her. Anwyn had been too preoccupied to even notice he'd taken them off. Rubbing at her wrists was more reflex than anything, but after being restrained for so long, it felt like it relieved some of the soreness.

"Get going, thief." He said casually, though the bite she had expected behind the words wasn't there. He stood relaxed, unconcerned.

She'd been compliant with all his safety measures and hadn't caused trouble while aboard, as promised. He'd even almost allowed her to stretch her legs a little after several days of not being allowed to go anywhere. Almost. Maybe he really wasn't mad about giving her a free ride off of Rodia. Huh.

With a little salute and a playful smirk, she winked and turned away. "Thanks for the lift, Mandalorian. Let's hope not to see each other again."

The helmet gave nothing away, as usual. "Let's hope."

Anwyn started towards the exit to the landing bay without a glance backwards, passing the head engineer on her way.

"Watch the kid while I'm gone, and I'll throw in some extra credits." She heard the bounty hunter tell the engineer, and they gave an affirmative. The conversation after that was too distant to hear.

Ah, right. The kid. Her time aboard the bounty hunter's ship hadn't been all bad. Aside from the cold confinement and the sub-par food, having the little green child make surprise visits to her down in the cargo bay had been something to look forward to. Not to mention, seeing the Mandalorian get exacerbated with the repeat escapes from his small companion had provided her no small measure of amusement.

Part of her was really gonna miss him. With his cute little smile and big ears-

No, no. She'd never see the thing again, best to just let it go. Now wasn't the time to feel bad. _Now_ she had to go to work.

With nothing but the clothes on her back and a determination to afford a decent meal after days of bland ration packs, the brunette slipped into the crowd of tourists and travelers.

Where, oh where, could those wealthy sons-of-banthas be hiding?

* * *

In comparison to Rodia, Bothawui was much more technologically advanced. Not to say that Rodia was _primitive_ , but by standards of architecture alone, it was egregiously outdated and old. Stone buildings and towers that at one point served as actual defensive positions comprised 90% of it's city scape. Not to mention just how confusing it was to navigate anywhere, as he escape had shown. No doubt constructed centuries ago by ancestors long dead, the Rodian people and culture had simply settled in and never changed anything. And with the environment domes preventing weather from eroding at the construction, they'd never had need to repair or upgrade. The one facet it did boast was it's natural beauty.

Here, buildings were a dazzling white and smooth-faced, rounded when it could structurally afford to be. Sterile, would be a good term for it. Statues of abstract shapes and water features dotted the city plazas, which was teeming with life from all parts of the galaxy. People of all planetary origin mingled among the place. Her initial assumption that Bothawui was a back-water planet had been tremendously incorrect.

Anwyn leaned against the counter of a food shop serving some local specialty, Bok stew. The thief had no idea what a bok was, but it sure tasted delicious served in a steamy broth of vegetables native to the planet. It had cost her pick-pocketing a Muun's small pouch of credits, and was definitely well-worth the fifteen minutes of stalking she'd had to do to snatch it up. Of course, anything tasted better than the dehydrated meat the bounty hunter's ration packs contained. This was fine dining by comparison.

Her green eyes took in those that passed by. Crowd-watching was the best source of targets for a thief, and she'd become very keen on how the wealthy went about their lives. They walked different, held themselves with a great deal of importance and respect that others did not. They tended to give themselves away, though hearing them speak to others was a very large indicator too. Figuring out those same visible and verbal cues on many species was challenging, but for the most part she knew the signs.

Her eyes flitted from a motherly Trandoshan walking with a younger child to the lumbering Wookie that seemed to tower over most of the crowd, gesturing animatedly at his human companion. Neither really stood out to her much, so she kept watching, waiting for something to jump out and catch her interest.

A Sullustan pilot walked past the food establishment, head bowed as he read over a data pad. Her eyes caught a snippet of the text, but it was in a foreign language she knew naught about. However, the corner of a thick purse of credits in his back pocket kept her unwavering attention, and she set down her empty bowl, giving the shop owner an appreciative nod.

Looking around the plaza with interest, more so to stave off suspicion of her intentions, she followed in the direction the Sullustan had gone, catching glimpses of him through the crowd as they went. Anwyn slowly gained on him, keeping close enough to avoid losing him completely in the sea of people, but far enough away that it wasn't obvious she was tailing him. He was still completely absorbed in his data pad, oblivious to his impending robber.

Ten minutes of following led her to a tightly-packed cantina, the Sullustan only a person or two ahead now. There wasn't much room to move without bumping or brushing into someone beside you. Her favorite environment. She quickened her pace as much as possible within the crowded building, closing the distance so that she was right behind him now.

Anwyn waited until he had to slide past a group of Arcona to proceed towards the back of the cantina, then snatched at the pouch of credits in his pocket. The Sullustan didn't react, no doubt thinking the feeling had simply been someone passing him by. Nor did anyone in the crowd incite her to stop, or call out 'thief!' with outrage.

Instead of immediately turning tail, she simply took up at the bar nearby, waiting for the bartender to notice and serve her. Entering and then immediately leaving would make her look strange, so she waited it out, knowing it could be risky but preferring not to make an scene or impression on anyone in case someone began asking questions later.

A quick glance at her victim confirmed that he had simply sat at one of the back tables, once again smitten with his data pad. The poor bastard really _had_ set himself up as an easy target. She hoped he didn't start a tab for drinks.

Ordering a small nikta shot paid for by the clueless Sullustan in the corner, she gestured to the human bartender and leaned in close when he approached from the other side of the counter.

"More nikta?" He inquired already reaching for the bottle. She shook her head, laying a handful of credits on the surface between them. Interested, he eyed them and smiled. "Information, then?"

Anwyn nodded. "Never been to Bothawui before. Know where I could find a med clinic?"

He picked one of the credits up, inspected it, then pointed back the way she'd come inside. "Not far. A few minutes walk from here. First right down the main road, then several streets up on the left. Can't miss it, has a first aid sign above the entrance."

"Thanks." She gave him a smile and left the cantina.

She didn't know how much clinic visits on Bothawui cost, but hopefully what she'd procured from the Sullustan would be sufficient. A quick count put her at 15,000 credits. Enough to keep her comfortable for several days, at the least. Maybe even indulge herself on a game of sabbac.

Following the directions the bartender gave her, Anwyn took the time to really appreciate the city. At face value, it looked cleaner and safer than most planets she'd been unfortunate enough to land on. She wasn't hassled by merchants as she walked, and the population was diverse enough that being human didn't make her stick out like a stormtrooper in a cantina.

 _Maybe it's not so bad here,_ she supposed.

Her people-watching continued, eyes sweeping over those walking ahead of her. But the sight of long, green ears bobbing along in the arms of a woman caught her attention. She zeroed in on the figure, recognizing the tan clothing that the kid had been wearing during the journey here.

The ship tech, what was she doing? The Mandalorian had instructed her to watch the kid but...where was she taking it? They were a good distance away from the landing bays, and the thief was fairly certain he wouldn't want her leaving the area-

This wasn't her problem. Who cared what happened to the kid? It wasn't hers, and maybe the Mandalorian was actually the one who'd stolen the baby, and the ship tech was just trying to save him? She didn't know a damn thing about what was going on, where they came from, what they were doing together...Anwyn had more important things to do than worry about the Mandalorian's adorable foster baby. He was _more_ than capable of saving him on his own. Of course. _Not_ her concern.

By chance, however, as Anwyn continued to follow the bartender's directions to the clinic, the ship tech did the same. Despite trying to ignore the woman and the stolen child, she couldn't help but watch as they moved through the crowd. Those green ears kept drawing her attention.  
They both took a left at the next corner, and the clinic came into view, but instead of heading inside like the thief was want to do, the tech instead took the small alley beside it, disappearing a few seconds later.

Anwyn stopped, torn. She didn't have any obligation to know what was going on. The selfish half of her brain said this was a waste of time, that all of this could be on the up and up. Maybe the kid was sick. Maybe the Mandalorian knew what was going on. Maybe Anwyn was way too invested in a cute kid she'd spent all of a few hours at most with during her confinement on his ship. This could all be her paranoia extending to the kid for absolutely no reason. But then...why bypass the main entrance and go around the back?

Her thoughts battled between minding her own business and following after the woman. Eventually, her moral side won over, and she found herself sneaking down the alleyway where the ship tech had gone.

Before reaching the end of the alley, she could already hear conversation between the ship tech and someone else. She inched the last few feet to the edge of the wall, then peered around the corner with one eye.

The ship tech was speaking to a gray uniform-clad human man, the baby still in her hands. She could see the insignia in silver on the man's shirt, glinting in the sunlight even from this distance.

Imperial. Fuck.

"This is it, right? Green, big ears, that's what you said." The woman asked, showing the kid to the man for a better look. "Only thing I've seen around here that looks like it."

"Yes, it is." He replied, scrutinizing the kid with a critical eye. Like he were inspecting the wear on a ship, not a living baby. "We've been searching for him for quite some time. How fortunate that you've found him for us."

The child was confused, looking back and forth between these two unfamiliar people. Though Anwyn felt even more befuddled than before. Why were Imps after the kid?

"Good, then...about those credits you guys were offering? I'm risking my neck just handing him over to you, with that Mandalorian-ah!" The woman jumped with a yelp, shaking out her hand which the kid bit, glaring down at him and slapping his ears. "Damn brat..."

He cried out sharply from the pain of being struck, and continued to whimper after that. Anwyn let out an outraged breath. Unbelievable...

"Naturally, we understand the risk you undertook to bring him to us." The man continued, looking entirely uninterested in the woman at all. "As promised, payment for delivery."

Anwyn's eyes narrowed, watching as the Imperial pulled a pouch of credits and gave them to the woman, who in turn handed off the baby with a small shove, happy to be rid of the thing. And without a glance or care, she walked away another direction, counting the credits she'd received.

She'd _sold_ the baby. Sold him to the _Imps_ , of all people. The brunette felt her fists clench with barely restrained disbelief, watching the Imperial take the kid through a back door into the clinic, and it shut with a hiss behind him. Had she been confident enough to take him out one-on-one, then she probably would have attempted to take the kid back right then and there. However, seeing as her captor hadn't bothered returning her knife or blaster before sending her on her way, it left her without a means to fight.

Technically, the kid wasn't her problem anymore. The bounty hunter could take care of it. It was his responsibility...

_Fuck that, it's a baby! He could be moved or dead by the time the Mandalorian realizes it._

Deciding that it wouldn't sit well with her to abandon the green child, she doubled back to the main street to poach the first blaster she could get her hands on. Somehow, she'd figure out a way to steal the kid back and return him to the bounty hunter.

* * *

No one was outside the door by the time she returned.

Anwyn wasn't stupid. She knew the moment she opened that back door, she could be met with a dozen blasters aimed at her chest. The thought didn't sit well at all. But her moral compass just wouldn't allow her to walk away from a kid being sold off like a slave. Obligation or not, it just wasn't acceptable. What the Imps wanted with a little child like that was beyond her. All she knew was it wasn't for any kindhearted reason.

Holding her new blaster down by her leg, she approached the door with caution. Sensing her proximity, it slid open with a quiet hiss and she plastered herself to the wall beside it. Waiting.

No one stormed out demanding to know 'who's there.' So far so good. The inner hallway was lit, and she slipped past the threshold to peer left and right.

This section of the clinic must have been for maintenance and storage, as no patients or doctors were wandering about. Muffled voices and the sounds of activity could be heard through the walls, but here was eerily quiet and still. Anwyn felt cold. Definitely not a place she was supposed to be.

There was also no sign of the Imperial who'd taken the child. What was an Imp doing at the back end of a clinic, anyway? Perhaps an Imperial front, where whatever surviving remnants of the Empire had flocked to? No use wondering, she supposed.

There was crying nearby, but she couldn't immediately distinguish the direction. Anwyn stopped, listening closely, hearing talking above the sound of the baby's cries. Damn, he had a guard. That made the most sense, they wouldn't just leave the kid by himself, but she'd still hoped for some miracle. When the kid's only rescue wasn't used to a frontal assault against multiple enemies, well...she was trying her best here.

Anwyn moved to the right as she pinpointed where the cried were coming from and crept along the hallway. The hallway was brightly lit, but she almost would have preferred a little darkness here. She felt exposed. The moment someone turned a corner, she'd be at a disadvantage. It bothered her that she hadn't encountered anyone yet, finding it suspicious and oddly eerie. If he was such a valuable target, wouldn't they keep a larger security presence?

The talking became louder. She was getting close. Her fingers tightened on her weapon, nerves getting the better of her. Passing by what appeared to be a laundry service room, several rolling carts filled with towels and linens were pushed against the wall. She sidestepped them to proceed, then stopped hearing a door open somewhere nearby.

"...located the bounty hunter's ship." A man said evenly. "Take a team to keep him occupied. I'll move the asset to a secure location."

"Yes, sir."

Ice flooded her veins, hearing people coming from down the hall. Seeing no other option, she swung herself into the cart as silently as she could. The softness helped to dampen the noise, and she covered herself with one of the towels in a rush. The carts were large enough that perhaps they wouldn't notice an odd covered lump if they just so _happened_ to look inside.

The thumping steps of several people passed her by, didn't even hesitate beside the carts, leaving the way she'd come. The back door hissed softly once as they left, then again to close behind them. Soon all that was left was the kid's crying. Anwyn flung the towels off her, scrambling out of the cart with haste. They were moving the child. There wasn't much time.

Anwyn didn't know how many Imperials she'd face when she entered the room, but she drew her blaster and quickened her pace in an abandonment of caution, whirling in front of the door the cries emerged from.

The Imperial man who'd given the ship tech her credits swung to face her, the child in his hands. He frowned and took a step back, startled at her sudden appearance. It took less than a moment for his to recognize that she was not Imperial and mentally label her an enemy. He was quick, reaching to draw his blaster from his side and, but she was already prepared and raised her blaster.

The relief of only finding one enemy inside the room had distracted her a moment, but she squeezed the trigger, shooting a blaster bolt into the man's abdomen. He cried out in pain, dropping the baby and his weapon as he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Blood began staining the carpet, but she shot a second time, making sure he was truly dead. Leaving no witness as to who stole the child from their reach.

The green creature was still crying, especially now that he'd just been dropped to the ground roughly. Anwyn grabbed the Imp's blaster for extra protection. Both weapons were shoved into her holster and waistband, before kneeling to pick the child up, her hands shaking.

"Shhh, shh, shh...I know, I'm sorry. You'll be alright now." She breathed, wrapping the child back up in the swaddle they'd put him in and wiping the speckling of blood that had made it onto his face. She made sure the material covered his ears, as now that she'd killed someone, there was bound to be Imps converging on the location once they realized what had happened.

The child was still crying, but it had reduced to sad whimpers and hiccups. Anwyn brazenly wondered if perhaps he recognized her from her small stint on the ship. As if their handful of hours together had somehow prompted the child to bond with her.

She spared a moment to give him a smile, despite the situation. "I'm gonna get you back to the Mandalorian, alright? You've just gotta stay quiet for a little while. Can you do that for me?"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Anwyn held him in her arms and exited the room, running back the way she'd come. Any second now an Imp could come back or investigate what the blaster fire had been. Or even just a civilian. Surely the patients and doctors at the front of the building had heard _something_. Her blaster shots weren't quiet, and the clinic was just a few walls away. She didn't plan on sticking around for the answers.

The kid safely tucked into her chest, Anwyn sincerely hoped that she could at least use the crowd to make it to the landing bay. She didn't stand a chance if they caught her between here and there. Neither of them had any armor, and unless the child was hiding some intense combat training, they would be overpowered by even just a few Imperials.

 _This is Rodia all over again_ , she thought, huffing out a laugh and grinning despite herself.

With a hiss, the clinic door opened and she took a sharp right towards the alley. No Imps waiting just outside to kill her on site, surprisingly. Just some confused people at the entrance of the clinic as she burst forth and sprinted past them towards the main street. So far so good.

The kid squirmed from within his swaddle, giving a muffled cry. It probably wasn't very comfortable or fun to be squished to her chest and bouncing around as she ran at such high speed, but there was nothing she could do for him right now. Her hand patted the cloth where his head would be to try calming him down.

"I know you don't like it." She said breathlessly, eyeing her route ahead with a critical eye. "Just a little longer, then you'll be safe."

An angry voice came from in front of her somewhere, calling to scour the area for any sign of the target. Pausing mid-step, Anwyn turned the other direction and switched to walking at a normal speed. Running now would single her out among the crowd. But even so, holding the child in her arms would probably still give her away. Somehow, she needed to hide him.

Frantically searching the shop-fronts, the thief found one selling tech and other parts manned by a Kubaz tending to a few customers. What drew her attention, however, was a box on top of the counter, just big enough to fit the kid in. Seeing nothing better, she made a beeline for the merchant.

The customers the merchant was working with backed up a few steps as she flew up to the counter. The thief grabbed the entire pouch of credits and slapped it down on the counter, already in the process of emptying the contents from the box onto the counter. The Kubaz made a series of outraged clicks and hand gestures, none of which Anwyn could understand, but she held out a hand as he went to assumably stop her, setting the box on the ground.

"I just need the box!" She cried, hoisting the child inside of it, then pushed the pouch of credits closer towards him. She snapped the lid shut, ignoring the way the Kubaz kept clicking and whistling at her in distaste, but by the time he was around the counter to stop her, she was already heading down an alley to find a side street. It was a small detour to take, not quite going the direction on the landing bays, but at least it would shake the heat off of her for the moment.

She slowed to a walk as she turned down another main walkway, schooling her face into an uninterested expression. Her breathing came through in sharp puffs through her nose, but soon enough it would slow to normal. Thankfully, she'd there'd been no one to spot her actually taking the child back at the clinic, so they probably didn't have a description on who the kidnapper looked like. Her only fear now was that some street passerby would tip-off the Imps. Nothing to prevent that now, however.

The child was shifting around inside the box, but thankfully he'd quieted his cries down. It would have been a tough time explaining why her box of 'tech parts' was whimpering. Perhaps he realized that she was trying to help him. She really didn't know what, if any, parts of this whole thing he actually understood.

Anwyn reached the main street, now heading in the exact direction of the Mandalorian's ship. Her eyes still flitted around the crowds of people, occasionally spotting the subtle gray uniforms of the Imperials, but none really paid her too much mind. Even passing by a group of gray-uniformed people, their eyes skirted right by her, so focused on finding a child within the crowd. Even still, it made her skin crawl just being so close to any Imp with the child in tow.

"Almost there." She whispered to the box.

Up ahead, she could hear blaster fire, distant and numerous. Anwyn cursed herself, wondering how she could have forgotten that they'd sent a team to keep the Mandalorian busy. So preoccupied to get the kid out of the clinic, it had slipped her mind. Getting to the landing bay meant walking straight into a fire fight. Hopefully by the time she arrived, he would have taken care of them.

Dodging past passersby who were sensibly getting out of the area, she spotted the door to the landing bay housing the Mandalorian's ship. Shaking her head because this was, perhaps, the _stupidest_ thing she might have ever decided to do, Anwyn ducked inside towards the sound of the blasters firing.

It was absolute chaos; stray bolts shot towards the Mandalorian, who was ducked down below some of the crates in his ship's cargo hold, from the team of 7 troopers that had taken cover behind the various diagnostic and repair tools that dotted bay's outer edge. Several more dead troopers lay nearby. Anwyn could tell the bouny hunter was pinned, unable to find another bit of cover or move to close the ramp and protect himself. From her position behind the line of Imps, she could certainly tell as much, and they probably knew it too. However, since they couldn't exactly flank him, they hadn't moved yet.

The thief set the box containing the child on the ground, drawing her blasters and bracing by the edge of the entryway. Her body vibrated a bit, nervous that she was about to insert herself directly into the danger. This was so far out of her comfort zone that she nearly turned and ran, but having gone through all the trouble of rescuing the baby and making it here, Anwyn didn't want to have that all go to waste. Nor when it looked like the Mandalorian was outnumbered.

Huffing out a breath, she leaned out the door and began shooting as accurately as she could at the troopers. At first, they didn't seem to notice. Then one fell, and they became aware of a second enemy now on their six. Most turned and spotted her in the doorway. Anwyn was forced to duck back into her cover, watching nearly a dozen bolts scorch the wall across from her. Any one of them could have killed her, had she been too slow.

Yes. This was _by far_ the worst idea she'd ever had.

The brunette cautiously peaked out again, shooting a few more shots when she thought she could get away with it, and noticed that two other troopers besides the one she'd killed had fallen, no doubt because of the bounty hunter. The troopers had been forced to move from their chosen covers, no longer safe from her direction of fire. It had given the bounty hunter the opportunity to take an upper hand and pick a few off. Only 4 left to deal with now.

"We're gonna need some back up at the landing bay!" She heard one of the troopers shout in his communicator, but a well-aimed shot from the Mandalorian ensured it was the last thing he'd ever say, sending him crumbling to the dirt. But it was too late now. They'd soon be surrounded and over run by more troopers if things didn't end quickly. And the brunette was the first person they'd see. Fuck.

Anwyn fired again, aiming at the three that were now huddled together behind a large mechanism and hoping to hold out until their extra troopers arrived. With their focus too invested in him, she was able to shoot one more in his helmet, sending him tumbling with a cry of pain.

The remaining two realized their mistake, turning to kill her, but the Mandalorian saw and moved to end the fight, standing and picking off each trooper with his large rifle. The landing bay was empty, save for the dozen or so bodies littering the place and the two of them. It was eerily quiet after all the blasting and shouting, and she felt like there was supposed to be something more, but it was just over. All in an instant.

She let out a breath she hadn't remembered holding, then shakily holstered her weapons, grabbing the box beside her and jogging into the bay to meet the Mandalorian at the bottom of the ramp.

"I know you said we wouldn't ever-"

"The child is missing. The tech must have been working for the Imperials." He cut in with unbridled panic. Anwyn had at least expected him to be upset that she had shown her face again, but perhaps the safety of the kid trumped even his distrust or dislike of her. And maybe she was the one person who may somewhat understand what had happened.

Anwyn smiled, setting the box down. "Don't worry, I-"

But he was already walking away towards the landing bay exit. "I don't know why you're here, but if you wanna be helpful, stay with the ship and make sure no one gets-"

"Would you shut up for a second and look before running off?" She interrupted harshly, snapping open the lid. With a roll of her eye, the thief lifted the green baby from inside for him to see. He'd managed to wiggle his way out of the swaddle somehow. "The kid's right here. I saw the tech give him to the Imps and knew something was wrong. I just...couldn't stand by and watch him be sold off like that. Figured he was probably safer back with you."

The Mandalorian had frozen in disbelief, then hurried forward to take him from her grasp gently. He stared at the child, then fingered at the specks of blood that had gotten on the tan robe he wore. Anwyn assumed he was questioning its presence.

"Had to kill the guy guarding him, it's not his blood. He's fine."

"...Thank you. For keeping him safe." Was his reply, head dipping down ever so slightly. The sincerity of the sentiment caught her totally off guard.

"Oh. Uh, don't mention it, I just happened to-"

_"In here! Bay 14!"_

Anwyn and the bounty hunter swung their gaze to the entrance of the landing bay, realizing that they were about to be surrounded. The trooper's back-up had just arrived.

He grabbed her arm and pushed the child into her chest, urging her up the ramp. "Get inside. Now."

Not bothering to question him, she retreated to safety inside the ship with the child, scaling up the ladder to the upper level. By then, an alarming number of blaster shots had already started firing outside. Anwyn wondered if he would actually be alright out there, but only a moment after the sound of the ramp being lifted followed.

Boots on metal flooring tramped closer, until she saw him emerge from the lower level and rush towards the cockpit, his cloak flowing behind him. She followed closely, sitting in the back seats while he began the launch sequence, flicking almost inhumanly fast at the switches and buttons. And while she knew how to pilot a ship, he made it look so...professional.

The engines rumbled around them, soon drowning out the sound of blasters being fired at the exterior of the ship. In her lap, the child nibbled gently at her fingers, but she barely paid it any mind. Worst case scenario would be that they breach the ship before they could take off.

Anwyn didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they'd finally began lifting from the ground, rising slowly higher until the ship picked up some decent speed, and until the port had to be a tiny speck beneath them. Her heart finally began to settle. She'd made it through an actual fire fight with her live intact. And she'd accomplished her goal of bringing the kid back to the Mandalorian. Win-win scenario all around.

Bothawui's cloudy sky soared past them at high speed, eventually morphing into the darkness of space, and it was several minutes until they'd reached a high enough altitude to leave orbit. The whole time was spent in a silence, Anwyn not sure what to say now that they circumstantially found themselves together once more.

Ten hours after parting way and they'd somehow ended up right back where they started. The first time had been an accident. Now it was simply out of necessity of not getting killed. But that might not matter to the Mandalorian. He hadn't been happy about her presence on his ship after Rodia. It was hard to tell what was on his mind now.

Satisfied that they were out of harm's way, the bounty hunter leaned back in his seat and turned to face the two of them. Without being told, she handed the child over to its rightful guardian. He took the little creature and looked down at him, saying nothing. Feeling awkward, Anwyn let out a huff in nervous laughter and stood from her seat.

"I'm glad the kid is safe and all. But I know you probably still don't like having me aboard. So, should I...escort myself to the cargo bay?" Came her hesitant question, then held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Same promise as before. No trouble from me."

His helmet lifted. The lack of facial feedback was really leaving her hanging, and she shifted in place.

"No." He eventually responded.

Anwyn smiled, relieved she didn't face another few days of being bound to a railing with no bed. Seemed that her good deeds had earned some respect in the Mandalorian's eyes. She re-took her seat at the back of the cockpit and leaned her head back to relax while she could. "Then I'll be right here catching some shut-eye. You can just drop me off wherever you happen to land."

Silence was his reply for a long time. The child cooed gently for a few moments, until the bounty hunter cleared his throat, making her look at him again.

"Given everything that's happened," he started slowly, "it's become obvious I can't properly protect this child on my own. There will be times that I need to leave him in the care of someone else. Someone I can trust not to put him in danger or betray me."

Anwyn arched a brow, getting an idea for what he was saying but unable to fathom that he would actually ask such a thing of her. His helmet looked to her squarely.

"Would you consider traveling with me, to help keep him safe?" Came the inevitable question. "You'd be paid, of course."

She shook her head in bewilderment. "You only met me a few days ago. You know I'm a thief. How could you trust me so much?"

"You could have left him with the Imperials, but you didn't. You risked your own life just to bring him back to me." He explained, and she looked away at the implied compliments. "You being a thief doesn't matter to me. It's your character I'm concerned with. And from what I've seen of yours, you seem like someone I can trust."

The brunette bit her bottom lip, chewing it with thought. The arrangement he proposed really wouldn't be any different than the one she'd taken herself. A bounty hunter was always mobile, on the move, traveling from system to system in search of quarries. Just what she wanted. And instead of having to sneak aboard a new pilot's ship each planet, it would guarantee safe passage, food, water, and supplies she may need along the way. Not to mention, some security if needed.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the two of them had what the other one needed. Watching a kid in exchange for safe travel and a steady means of living? That was a no brainer. Meeting his visor with her eyes, she smiled, then held out her hand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Mandalorian." They clasped hands and shook on it, and her chest swelled with a strange sense of excitement for what may come next. The prospect of a companion was...new. "Where should I put my things?"

"You brought nothing with you." He pointed out, and she paused.

"...right."


	4. Adjustment, And Getting Some Sleep

"So what's his name, anyway?"

"I don't know."

Anwyn shot an incredulous glance at her helmeted companion leaning against the kitchen wall. She held the kid in her hands and bounced him up and down gently in her lap in a chair at the table. After activating the ship's hyperspace, he'd suggested they eat something, to replenish lost energy, and to give them the opportunity to talk, since there were a few things to hash out about their agreement.

"Ok, and...you didn't think to give him one?" She asked, and the man looked away. "You've just been calling it 'kid' and 'baby' this whole time?"

He muttered something under his breath, just barely picked up by the helmet's modulator, in a language she didn't understand. "Didn't feel like my place." He finally said with a shrug, leaving it at that.

The brunette said nothing, perplexed. It reminded her just how in the dark she was about everything having to do with him. And she figured maybe it was about time to fix that. They were in hyperspace for the next week. Not like they had much else to do to fill the time.

"You know, if I'm gonna be traveling with you, don't you think I should know about him and how the hell he ended up with a bounty hunter?" She gave him a meaningful glance, then returned it to the kid, dangling her fingers in front of its face. He tried to reach up to grab them, but she'd pull them just a little bit higher before he could. "Might help down the line in case things go bad and I need to make a cover story."

"Right..." He sighed, straightening from the wall and heading towards the cockpit. Anwyn watched as he returned with a small, black box in his hand. Then, after a moment, recognized it as a tracking fob that bounty hunters were often given for jobs.

"He was originally a quarry." The Mandalorian explained, handing her the box. It was inactive now, the red light dark, but she'd seen enough passingly to know how they normally worked. "The Imps hired practically the whole guild of hunters to find him, but me and an IG unit got to him first."

"Why did they want him so bad in the first place?"

"...Not sure."

She sensed the hesitation there, but forged on anyway. "And...why would you take a job to find a baby for the Imps in the first place?" She spat, shaking her head in disappointment. "You _have_ to know they're no good place to hand over a kid."

"I know that." He replied with heat. "There was no puck, just a fob. The only information to go on was that they were 50 years old."

"Figures that they'd lie about a target to get you to take a job...lying bastards." She said in distaste, and he shook his head.

"They didn't lie." The helmet fixed her in it's sights, and she stared back with a frown, processing the information. Expression clearing, her gaze fell to the kid in her lap, looking at the child with a new sense of confusion and curiosity.

"He's _50?_ And still a child?"

"According to the Imps. And I'm willing to bet their info is accurate."

"So, what, you grabbed him and ran?"

"Not exactly." He replied, crossing his beskar-clad arms, then his helmet tilted down as he continued to tale. "I still did the job. The guild has a no-questions-asked policy, and so I didn't. Handed him over, took the payment, and left. It didn't feel right, afterwards. I went back. I betrayed the guild, and set myself on the Imps' radar to take him back and run. I regret letting them get a chance to have him at all, but I can't go back and change what happened the first time."

Anwyn wasn't going to say anything about how he, after learning that the thing was just a kid, still gave him to the Imps. This was the very reason she had a problem with most bounty hunters. They treated everyone so black and white. Never thought to consider options of gray. She thought it was a pretty questionable choice to go through with the job, but supposedly, he'd changed. Hell, even now, he watched her like a hawk around the kid, just to be sure he wasn't in danger.

"I've been taking care of him since then, protecting him." The Mandalorian finished. "Once I find them, I'll return him to his people. Though figuring out who they are is the first problem I'm running into. I've been at it for a few months but still haven't found anything."

The brunette examined the kid's green visage, her head cocked. "Never seen anything like him before...that's for sure." She muttered. "Maybe they're somewhere in the Unknown Regions? Some undiscovered species?"

"Maybe. Out there, I could spend a lifetime searching planets and still never find them, though. Someone somewhere has to know about his people."

Anwyn nodded, staring down at the little green creature thoughtfully. He simply looked up at her with those big, bright eyes. He cooed and reached for her, no doubt wanting to play some more. She'd never really nannied a kid before, but she couldn't imagine it would be that hard to learn how. Human baby or...whatever kind of baby he was, how different could they be?

Come to think of it, the both of them were remarkably similar, weren't they? Lost in the galaxy, looking for-

"You learned what you wanted about me." He interrupted her thoughts. "Now tell me about you."

"I already did, after you caught me."

"You told me the bare minimum. Like you said, I should know a bit more if we'll be working together. You may have good character, but I don't fully trust someone I know nothing about." He replied, and she cursed the way he used her words against her.

"There's not much else to it than what you already know, but ask away, I guess. Maybe I'll answer."

He paused, perhaps mulling over what he wanted to know the most. He was right to assume that she wouldn't sit there and let him play 20 questions. If it was something she didn't want to answer, she'd stay quiet. "You grew up in Ord Mantell. Family there?"

Anwyn sighed, thinking about how much she actually wanted to say. Her questions had all been business. His were a bit...more. They were starting the personal conversations a bit early into this partnership. But she knew that building trust required opening up a little, so she'd give him a few things to sate his curiosity. Again, lying hadn't crossed her mind at all.

"I've a stepfather, stepbrother, and mom out there. They run an antique emporium in the lesser part of town. Nothing special. I'm not particularly close with any of them."

"Why?"

The kid started to coo and fuss, so she started bouncing him in her lap again, hoping to quiet him down. She used him as a means of avoiding the helmet's unrelenting black visor. "My stepfather is stern. Always made sure I knew there was a difference between me and his son. Never abusive, but he just...made it clear I wasn't family. And Syron, he picked up that he was somehow better than me because of it. Like father like son, I guess."

"And your mother?"

Her lips tightened in irritation, refusing to look at him. "Reasons."

Thankfully, he didn't pursue that line of dialogue, but instead asked an equally personal one. "What about your birth father?"

"...Never knew him. Out of the picture. And I suggest picking a different set of questions, Mandalorian. I'm not fond of talking about my family problems." Was her bristling response.

He held up his hands in mock surrender, placating the bite to her tone. "Alright...how long have you been out on your own?" He switched to something a little less personal, which she was thankful for.

"About ten years, left home when I was 22. And before you ask, yes, it was because of family that I left. No, I will not go into details." She pressed, staring up at him. He simply nodded, allowing her to continue. "Picked up a knack for stealing when I was first starting out and figured it would be a useful skill to master. So, years of thievery and ship-hopping later and...here I am." She explained with a flourish of her hand, before wiggling her finger in front of the baby's face again.

Anwyn scoffed suddenly, shaking her head. "You're seriously not gonna name him?"

"If it bothers you that much, why don't _you_ do it? You'll be taking care of him while I'm away." He retorted, but she raised her brows.

"I barely know him! If _you_ don't feel right naming him, what makes you think _I_ do?"

He didn't have a response to that other than a silent shake of his helmet, and the two dropped it from there.

Silence persisted, save for the kid's occasional coo. Apparently the bounty hunter didn't have any further questions or if he did, she was tired of waiting for them. Besides, something he'd mentioned before came to mind.

"We never talked about payment." She said, looking up at the Mandalorian after a minute had passed. "You mentioned it, but we never went into specifics. What sort of rate did you have in mind?"

"A quarter of my bounty earnings, if that's satisfactory." He offered, and she blanched.

"A _quarter?_ I was only expecting..." She stopped herself, figuring it was not beneficial for her to disclose the low amount she'd expected him to toss her way, lest he change his mind. Her internal minimum was embarrassingly low. This arrangement benefited her more than him at it's core, she felt. Getting paid for it was just the cherry on top. Free rides around the galaxy for watching a kid was a small exchange. She'd take what she could get.

"Only expecting...?" He prompted, but she shook her head.

"Nothing. A quarter's good. No complaints."

He nodded his understanding, and went to leave for the cockpit, but she stopped him. "I should warn you, though. I don't intend to stop thieving. It's an extra income for me on the side that I'm not willing to let go."

"We don't need extra heat on our tail." He warned. "We've already got Imps scouring the galaxy for the kid. Don't make things worse."

Anwyn waved the concern aside. "Relax, I stick to credit wallets and small little things I can get my hands on. I'm not out to steal star cruisers and land speeders."

"And the transport on Rodia? A little bit bigger than a pickpocket." He accused. She pursed her lips, shrugging.

"It was...a calculated risk. Not my usual work. Don't worry about it. Hey, and who knows? I might steal something useful every once in awhile." She finished with a grin.

A sigh came from the modulator, and the Mandalorian left the room. Apparently he had no good response to that. Well, good. She didn't think this arrangement would work out if he didn't let her practice her craft.

* * *

The next few days were a strange mixture of avoiding the Mandalorian and trying to figure out how to take care of the baby. Not out of any conscious effort to not see her new companion, but he mainly stuck to the cockpit or his own quarters. Anwyn had quickly discovered that his natural inclination was silence. Unless prompted, he really didn't say much.

After that initial talk, he'd only really spoken at length once more later that day, showing her key places around the ship to get her acquainted with its features. It hadn't been a long tour at all. The ship wasn't that big, but still was larger than she expected it to be.

_These are my quarters. If you need me for something, knock, but don't enter._

_The weapons store is in the cargo bay. In emergency situations, use it. Outside of that, I'd leave it alone. The kid's keen. He might figure out how to open it without us looking._

_Keep your hands to yourself. If you_ must _steal something, do it at the ports. Not my ship._

That last one had amused her, but his tone had made it clear he was serious, and her grin had quickly disappeared as she agreed to the condition. Ah, he wasn't joking. Perhaps he'd had issues with that before? Best to leave it alone.

She'd noticed no other sleeping quarters besides his own on board, and asked about where she'd be sleeping. He sighed, saying all he could do at the moment was offer some bedding and put her somewhere in the cargo bay, as it would have the most room available. She looked around and shrugged. It didn't bother her that much, having grown used to sleeping in awkward spaces in a ship. Some extra blankets would keep out the cold, and it would give her a large amount of space to herself. Not bad, given the circumstance. At least this time she wouldn't be tethered to a railing by her wrists.

After the little tour he'd announced that he was going back to the cockpit, to do what she had no clue since they were still traveling in hyperspace, and she was left alone with the kid for the next week to adjust. Well. Better now than while they were running from Imps planet-side.

She found herself in this awkward in-between, unsure whether he would appreciate company or preferred to be left alone. They hadn't established any sort of social order here. And it just felt weird to ask him. Figuring it would sort itself out eventually and that maybe they'd come to some unspoken understanding, Anwyn decided to focus on the kid for the remainder of their journey in hyperspace.

The brunette had quickly learned it really didn't matter what she fed him, the child ate most anything edible. And, as with all small younglings, he had the habit of chewing on anything he could get his three-fingered hands on. Food or otherwise.

While she ate her food, which thankfully was no longer the emergency ration packs that the Mandalorian had fed her the first time around, she made sure to give small bits to the child while also wrangling away the small screws or metal bits he somehow always managed to find while she wasn't looking. Strange.

Most of the time, the child was remarkably well-behaved. Though, if he was 50 years old, perhaps he'd had some time to come to an even temperament. He cooed often, softly and with mild curiosity, but only seemed to get upset when she put him down for a moment or left him outside the door to the fresher for five minutes of alone time.

It was a job. Sure, he was cute. Adorable, in fact. But she always reminded herself that this was a responsibility she was getting paid for. _It'll help in the long-run_ , she thought to herself. One day, if need be, Anwyn would be able to leave without feeling too much heartache. That was the plan, at least.

Those eyes were incredibly persuasive, though. She'd have to be careful not to start thinking she was it's mother. Anwyn had never anticipated being one, nor that she'd be any sort of good one. She'd protect him, feed him, and spend time with him enough to care about his well-being. But nothing more. A nanny is all she would remain.

* * *

Sleeping, the brunette soon realized, could be a difficult affair. The Mandalorian normally took the child once he was ready to turn in for some rest of his own, perhaps not trusting her or maybe because he preferred having him close. Anwyn wouldn't ask. It gave her time to herself without needing to watch the kid, and it was surprisingly comfortable down in the cargo hold once the bedding had been put down. That wasn't the issue.

The problem was once the child managed to get out of the Mandalorian's room and make his way back down to her, touching her face with his tiny hands. The first time it happened on her second day aboard, she'd startled awake in a panic. With the cargo bay lights off, she had no clue what had touched her. The child, confused why she'd reacted so harshly, had begun to cry, and in her haze she realized what was beside her. Anwyn sighed, picking him up to try calming him down.

"No, don't cry...please..." Anwyn muttered groggily, picking him up and bouncing him in her arms. Still, he didn't seem to settle. He squirmed around in her arms, unsatisfied with her attempts at consolation. In the dark, holding an upset child, she hadn't ever thought to find herself in this situation. What a galaxy they lived in.

This wasn't working. Throwing aside her blanket, she stood with child in hand, meandering around the cargo bay to maybe put him to sleep from the movement alone. She remembered her mother walking circles in the antique shop's front shop when she was little, the repetitive movement putting her back to sleep. Maybe the same would work for him.

Her socks did little to protect her feet from the cold metal flooring. Even after 25 or 50 passes around the cargo bay, he showed no signs of quieting down and all she got for it was no feeling in her feet. Anwyn huffed a tired and frustrated breath. There was no way to tell how much time had passed since she'd actually gone to sleep, but it felt like an hour at most.

"Come on...maybe the Mandalorian can help you." She murmured to herself, heading towards the direction she knew the ladder to the upper deck to be.

Her careful steps up the ladder in the darkness felt more treacherous this time, since she was carrying the kid on her hip. One tumble and she could accidentally crush him. Keeping a tighter hold on him as she ascended the last few rungs, she straightened and passed by the door to the cockpit.

The swirling colors of hyperspace greeted her through the doorway. Anwyn stopped to watch, not realizing just how much time she'd spent away from the view. Down in the hold, it was easy to forget they were in space sometimes. The kid quieted in her arms as he noticed the sight too. She looked down, watching him reach towards it with eager intent, cooing insistently. Well, alright. That solved her problem.

Stalking into the cockpit, she settled comfortably into one of the back passenger seats and propped the kid on her chest so he could see the lights. His coos had quieted to small whimpers. Quiet musings to himself, maybe.

"We'll stay here until you fall asleep again. But then you're going back to the Mandalorian, ok?" She whispered. He didn't put up any fight, so she took that as an ok.

For awhile, she just sat there, watching the hyperspace travel with him. It really was a beautiful sight. Most of the time she didn't get to see it from her spots stowed away in some random trader's ship. It always had to be somewhere hidden, with no view. Now, given free roam of a ship was...definitely different. A good sort of different.

Honestly, Anwyn was just happy that the crying had stopped. Maybe sitting wasn't the most comfortable position to rest, but whatever gained her peace and quiet was fine with her. Her eyelids grew heavy with fatigue, and eventually she gave in to the temptation. Sleep came quick and unexpectedly.


	5. Settling In, and Medical Droids

Life aboard the Razor Crest was...frankly, monotonous. At least for the first stretch of their voyage together. Not that the thief had been anticipating unending action the moment she agreed to help watch the little alien baby. Even a bounty hunter had to have some downtime. But, still. She hadn't realized it would be like _this._

All week began by a very warm and touchy green child snoozing somewhere on or near her person. How he consistently managed to find his way out of wherever the Mandalorian kept him at night was beyond Anwyn. Truthfully, it was pretty jarring and concerning, but he had yet to hurt himself because of it so...small mercies?

With the child in tow on her hip, the brunette would groggily stumble up from the cargo hold and head to the kitchen, fumbling her way through making a cup of caf to wake her up for the rest of the 'day.' Really, calling them days wasn't appropriate, she supposed. In the midst of hyperspace, there was no sun cycle to definitively track that sort of measurement. It certainly made the journey feel all the longer.

Sometimes the Mandalorian would be there putting away his empty cup, sometimes not. If he did happen to be there when she walked in, they would exchange silent nods by way of greeting, her not quite awake enough to engage in meaningful conversation and him because that apparently was just the way he went about things. That awkward, uncertain tension still lingered about between them, neither sure where they stood in terms of social interaction yet, but Anwyn was still confident they'd get there eventually. Time would tell.

Once Anwyn felt moderately awake, usually by her second cup of caf, she'd find herself in the cockpit to see the progress they'd made. The nav screen was bright green and promised that they were indeed getting closer to their destination: Naboo. The bounty hunter had been hesitant to choose such a high-density destination, but it provided them with somewhere to go after having escaped Bothawui, and he'd been confident he would be able to find work without difficulty.

The rest of her time awake was spent trying to occupy herself while also keeping an eye on the kid. There was a disappointing lack of stimulating activities to do on the ship, meaning she'd had to get creative with ways to pass the time and to keep his attention. Most of them ended up being in due part the kid himself, finding ways to escape her sight and give her numerous spikes of chest-aching anxiety every time she turned around to find him missing once again. How on earth had the Mandalorian managed up until now?

Locked doors didn't seem to prevent him from moving about the ship as he pleased, though thankfully not into the most dangerous areas of the ship. However, she had spotted him reaching for the carbonite chamber once when he'd stumbled away from her supervision in the cargo hold. Honestly, was he trying to get himself hurt?

The Mandalorian only shrugged when she brought it up to him that the ship wasn't exactly the most kid-friendly environment. "There isn't much I can do about it." He'd said.

Figures.

By the time they'd docked the Razor Crest in Naboo's spaceport, Anwyn was well and truly bored. But also stressed. The kid had been a handful without much to distract him along the way, and she'd vowed to find some way to fix that while they were planet side.

* * *

The Razor Crest's cargo ramp lowered with a loud metallic grind, slowly revealing the port bay to the three occupants aboard. It clanged against the dirt ground and locked into place. Anwyn kept a grip on the child, eyeing him warily, as if he'd try to disappear from her sight again now that they were grounded.

Several rusting repair droids, as well as a human male stood at the edge of the white circle of paint marking the landing zone, watching his newest arrivals with mild interest. He seemed a bit young to be in charge of a place like this-surely he was no older than 20 or so cycles old, what with that unruly mop of brown hair and a look in his eyes that indicated he hadn't seen too much of the galaxy yet-but looks could be deceiving.

His eyes narrowed, glancing between the two adult occupants with what she presumed was suspicion. Surely the sight of a Mandalorian was as rare here as it was anywhere else. She wondered if he'd say anything about it.

They descended the ramp and met the bay worker at the bottom. He looked behind them, inspecting the ship in that scrutinizing way only someone with a lot of knowledge on them could. "Haven't ever seen something like this before...What kind of ship is it?"

"A good one." Was her companion's stern and modulated reply, giving nothing away. Was there really a need to be so vague? Raising a brow, she kept silent, gently bouncing the kid up and down on her hip to keep him from fussing.

The man wasn't impressed, rolling his eyes, but eventually decided to drop it. "Not much of a talker, I see." His gaze wandered to the outer sides of the ship, taking in everything he could with a tilt of his head. "Well, looks like the hull is still in good condition, just some nicks and such from debris. Want me to polish those out for you?"

"No. Just docking fare." He dug into the small pouch at his side and withdrew a handful of credits. "I'll be looking for work here. If it's not enough, we can get you the rest soon."

"This all you have?" He asked, and the bounty hunter nodded. The man took the offered currency and counted it out, before finally shrugging dismissively. "This should cover you until tomorrow evening. Anything past that you'll have to hand over before leaving."

They nodded their agreement, and the bay technician and his droids left the three travelers at the end of the ship's ramp. The 'T' of the bounty hunter's helmet was fixed on the droids until they disappeared from view, strangely enough.

Anwyn turned to her companion then. "So...are we under orders to stay with the ship?" She asked, expecting as much given their interactions thus far. This was the first time their work dynamic would be put to the test, a first show of what his expectations were when planetside. She could certainly see him as the paranoid type who wouldn't want the ship unguarded. Plus, it was better to know now just how much of a risk it would be to sneak off while he was away.

Unexpectedly, his helmet shook a swift negative. "If this were hostile territory, then yes. But we should be safe here, so long as we keep a low profile."

"Oh. Great." She said, blinking back her surprise. That went better than expected. "Then, I'll head into the market and get a few things for me and the kid. Might have to steal a purse or two to pay for them, but-"

"Here." He said, reaching back into the credit pouch and offering her some. "We don't need any issues with the authorities. Get what you need _without_ stealing it."

She detected a hint of exasperation in his tone, mostly masked by the helmet's modulator. The side of her mouth quirked up as she accepted the credits. "I thought you gave all you had to the bay technician?"

"If I did, we wouldn't have enough to restock our supplies." He quipped quietly, and she nearly chuckled. With that, he turned on his heel to leave, cape fluttering with the movement. "I'll try to be back by tonight. Keep the kid safe."

"Sure thing." She said with a little wave, watching him leave the docking bay. The child watched from his spot against her side, then held up his little hand in what Anwyn thought was an attempt at a wave goodbye. She grinned, then propped him higher up on her hip.

"Alright, kid. Let's get something to carry you around in, yeah? You're heavier than you look."

* * *

Now strapped with a baby carrier she'd negotiated a good price for with one of Naboo's merchants, Anwyn adjusted the strap across her shoulder until it was comfier for her and the kid. It left her hands free but kept him on her hip and unable to wander away by himself, but wasn't over encumbering or so thick that she'd overheat in Naboo's constant warm climate. The baby cooed from beside her, and she looked down with a smile to see him looking at everything around him.

"You won't tell the Mandalorian, right?" She asked, stuffing the remaining credits from the unsuspecting Hrakian's pouch into her own pocket before tossing the leather item behind a few barrels. The green child cooed some more, but Anwyn chose to take that as agreement. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Fading into the crowd of people, she started looking around for other stalls to purchase supplies. In addition to low food and other items, their caf rations were uncomfortably low. The brunette didn't know if she'd be able to survive another week-long light speed journey without some. Even though he hadn't said anything to the affect, she suspected the Mandalorian depended on the stuff just as much as her.

The feeling of anonymity within the crowd was comforting, just another face in the sea of people, and it left her feeling relaxed. Not completely off guard, but less paranoid that there would be someone watching her every move. It would be difficult to track a single target in the masses. Naboo was supposedly Imperial-free anyway, having been a major point of interest during the rebellion, but she wasn't going to put it past a bounty hunter or two to recognize her from some of the prices on her head throughout the galaxy. The cons of being a con, unfortunately.

She spotted a novelty stall down the way, and navigated her way to it, spotting some hand-made dolls and toys that were big enough for the baby to play with without risk of swallowing something he shouldn't. A wrinkly-face human woman sat behind the counter, peering up at her expectantly when she approached.

The toys were well-crafted, colorful items that clearly were meant to be enjoyed rather than put on display. All unique, sporting slight different features and shapes. From creatures to people, to what she assumed to be significant relics in Naboo's history. The roughness of the material in some portions of the dolls and toys made it obvious it was durable, which was exactly what she was hoping for.

"All handmade. A family tradition, passed down through generations." The woman offered up, gesturing to the trinkets pinned to the stall walls behind her.

"See any you like, little guy?" Anwyn directed to the green child in her carrier. She turned so he could see the wares, watching as his eyes flicked back and forth over the various faces and shapes. His ears rose and fell with curiosity, before his tiny 3-taloned hand reached up at one of them. The older woman turned to see which he had gestured to, smiling as she plucked the yellow and brown striped thing from the wall.

"Ah, very nice. Mee fish, from deep in the lakes of Naboo." She explained with wisdom. "Poisonous and armored with hard scales. Indicates resilience."

Her hands extended the toy to the child, who eagerly grabbed it in his hands. He cooed with excitement, raising it up high as children do. He clearly liked it a great deal.

"How much?" The brunette asked, watching the kid with a pleasant smile.

"600 credits."

Her brows shot up at the mentioned price, her head jerking towards the woman in shock. She opened her mouth to say something over such a hefty price, but then realized that the green baby had already stuffed the fish plush into his mouth and slobbered all over it. No way to return it now. So, she dug into her credit pouch and produced the amount due without a word. Her stolen credits were almost entirely gone.

"Many thanks." The woman said with a cunning gleam in her eye, no doubt knowing exactly what she'd done when she'd handed over the toy to the kid. Anwyn turned away, feeling swindled, trying to justify it with the idea that she'd meant to buy him a toy or two anyway. At least it wasn't an impulse buy. But the further she walked away, the less it made her feel better.

"You'd better treat it well for that price." She muttered to the kid, who obliviously chewed at the fish's swooped fin with a smile.

A few more stops at various market stalls, and she'd purchased all that she'd hoped to, caf rations included. The smell of the stall's fresh grounds alone had been mouthwatering.

Their shopping finished, she'd returned to the ship to store what she had bought. The kid still chewed happily on his toy, his attention so preoccupied that he barely fussed at all, save for when he dropped the thing on the ground by accident and started sniffling.

The rations and supplies having been put in their respective places, she readjusted the bag on her shoulder.

"One last stop before we wait for the Mandalorian to get back." She said to the baby, stepping down from the Razor Crest again to return to the market area.

On the furthest side of the market street, she'd seen the universal symbol for a clinic while doing her shopping. Filing the location away for later, she made a beeline back to it now that her hands weren't full of supplies.

The doors opened with a gentle hiss, the sterile white interior a stark contrast to the brown and green copper buildings outside. The infirmary lacked all culture, replaced instead by technology and sleek modern design.

A front desk was occupied by a female who looked all but human, save for her bright, nearly perfect blue skin and deep red eyes. Anwyn had no clue what sort of race she was, but she thankfully spoke Galactic Basic. "Welcome. Are you in need of services?"

"Yeah, actually. A blood test." She responded, leaning against the counter casually, careful not to bump the kid's head against it. The woman typed a few things into her terminal, before looking back up at her.

"Name?"

"Anwyn Kallos."

"Reason for your diagnostic?"

"Lineage search."

"One moment." A few more seconds of data input later, the woman gave Anwyn another smile. "Payment is taken upfront, and the diagnostic cost is on the holopad."

She grabbed the rest of her stolen credits from her pouch and handed them over to the woman, who accepted them gracefully. "Please remain here a moment. A medical unit will be with you shortly."

"Thanks."

Anwyn took a seat on one of the white chairs against the wall of the building, wondering why comfort had seemingly been forgotten in their design. The air she breathed in felt filtered, heavily sanitized in some vent somewhere before spat out the other end. Clean, but manufactured.

She was the only one in sight, other than the blue lady, of course, so thankfully she didn't have to worry about people wondering her business. And the receptionist didn't look particularly interested in her at all. She looked down at the baby, who was still playing quietly with his toy.

"When's the last time you had a toy, huh?" She asked to herself, not expecting nor receiving an answer other than his idling coos. Unable to help herself, she brushed at the fine hairs on his head, smoothing them down so they weren't going in crazy directions. "You're real cute, you know."

Those eyes turned to her now, as if he could understand exactly what she was saying. Anwyn's fingers paused, wondering exactly how much of everything he could actually understand. She'd had the same thought back when she'd snatched him away from the Imps, but now it came to her again, stronger this time. What did the little guy think of all of this?

A door suddenly opened up across the room, and a humanoid-shaped medical droid stepped into the lobby.

 _"Patient: Anwyn Kallos, we are prepared to see you now."_ It said in a robotic voice, it's eye ports blinking with each word. She rose, following as it turned in place and started back the way it had come from.

The door shut behind them, and the droid continued until it turned into a small room with medical table set up in the middle. _"Please, take a seat."_ The droid instructed with an extended metal limb, and she did as asked. She set the bag with the baby in it on the table beside her.

_"Diagnostic request: blood sample for biological comparison. Is this correct?"_

"Yes." She replied, and the droid beeped an affirmative.

 _"Extend appendage, please."_ It chirped in monotone. Anwyn rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, finally offering her forearm to the droid with a small worm of apprehension. No matter how many times she'd done this, she always got nervous when it came to the part with-

A metal clamp gripped her by the wrist, preventing her from moving. _"Try to relax."_ It said as the other limb drew closer, a small needle protruding from what would have been it's finger. Its bedside manor fell a little short thanks to the robotic filter. The brunette bit her lip, watching closely as the droid jabbed at a point close to the bend in her elbow, the sharp pain nearly making her flinch.

The baby had stopped playing with his toy, instead deciding to watch as Anwyn sat still so the vial within the droid's 'hand' filled with her blood. She looked down at it, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, we're almost done. I'm alright."

He only gave her a worried look with those huge eyes, but she reached down and presented him with his toy again, which caught his attention once more.

Seconds passed, before the droid extracted it's arm and released her wrist. She pulled it back with relief, rubbing the point where the needle had been inserted. It had already closed, thanks to the bacta solution along the outside of the needle.

The droid turned to a machine nearby to the medical table, inserting the needle into a predesignated port for the blood vials to be dispensed, a whirring noise starting deep within the machine. It finally turned back, arms back at it's sides.

 _"Sample collected. Analysis in progress."_ It said, and Anwyn nodded to herself.

Several minutes of silence passed as the machine did it's work. Anwyn kept the baby occupied with it's toy, glad that he'd behaved so well up to this point. Compared to the little monster she knew he could be while in hyperdrive, she was pleasantly surprised by his good manners.

The screen on the machine suddenly changed, a chart of her blood workup on display. She couldn't decipher what any of it meant, but that was what the droid was for anyway.

 _"Analysis complete. Comparing to Naboo genetic records..."_ It paused, and Anwyn could have sworn the silence stretched longer than normal. _"...Result: No biological match."_ The droid finally deduced, and Anwyn sighed heavily.

A wave of disappointment went through her. It was her expectation, but still, she'd been hopeful that this time around...damn. Naboo was densely populate. She'd hoped that maybe, seeing as it held so many people...that it might be the one. She felt a little hand touch her elbow, and she looked down to see the kid staring up at her. She couldn't quite tell what it was feeling, but somehow she thought he was trying to comfort her.

"I see." She said sadly, already slinging the bag with the child over her shoulder again. "Well, it was worth a shot, I guess."

 _"Error: Anomaly detected in blood sample."_ The droid continued interpreting, one of the bars on the screen marked with red. _"Designation: unknown. Unidentifiable value, further analysis recommended-"_

"No thanks, I'll be on my way." She said in frustration, pushing off the table and out the door of the examination room before the droid could try changing her mind. She just wanted to go back to the ship and be done with this place. Behind her, the droid continued to spout robotic suggestions, but she pushed through the door to the lobby and didn't bother looking at the receptionist on the way out.

* * *

By the time the Mandalorian got back to the Razor Crest, night had fallen. Anwyn heard the hydraulic release of the cargo bay ramp, and watched it descend to the ground warily. A silver helmet appeared in view, and she relaxed against the box she was propped up on. He stepped aboard, no bounty in sight but his credit pouch clearly bulkier from when he had left the hangar that morning.

"You manage to find some work?" She asked curiously, and he nodded, stepping past her and the child who played with his toy a few meters away to put his weapons in the locker.

"Tracked a bail-jumper on the other side of town." He explained, finally snapping the locker closed and approaching. Then, he tilted his head at the child and pointed at the yellow object he held. "What is that?"

"His toy. Cost me more than I'm willing to admit, but he seems to like it." She answered, looking at him again with fondness. "He picked it out himself."

"Hmm." He muttered, staring down at it. "He didn't give you any trouble?"

"Nope." She reported, standing and stretching out her back with a few pops.

The child looked up and saw his bounty hunter caretaker, smiling and raising his arms up at him, clearly wanting to be lifted.

"Come here..." He abided the child's wish, picking him up and looking him over with a critical tilt of his helmet. "Anything happen while I was away?"

Remarkably, the child looked her way with his wide eyes of his, as if imploring her to speak the truth. She met his gaze, somehow resisting those eyes. Her elbow and wrist still stung a little from the needle and clamp, but she didn't reach for it like she was want to do. Instead, Anwyn only grinned and shook her head.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."


	6. Mando'a, and Learning The Truth

From her seat at the small table in the Razor Crest's admittedly tiny mess room, Anwyn could hear all sorts of various bangs and dings from the cargo bay down below. Interrupting the struggle were what she could identify as the Mandalorian muttering under his breath. She could never quite catch what he was saying, but the voice modulator made his words very distinct from the rest of the noise even from the floor above.

For the most part, she tried ignoring his obvious frustration with whatever it was that he was doing, but after 10 minutes of the same thing and no sign of it stopping, she put down her utensils and left her unfinished meal on the table. "Stay here." She instructed the green baby sitting on the seat beside her, who grabbed at his own food with his little hands. He cooed softly, but only watched as she left the room.

She stepped towards the ladder and grabbed the two sides, sliding and finally dropping down with a thud in the cargo bay.

The noise must have started the armored man, because his helmet banged against the metal wall of the Razor Crest with a very loud clang, and he pulled his arm out from the square-shaped vent he'd been reaching inside.

"Ah, _haar'chak_..." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear, and she quirked a brow. She watched him shake his head a little to help alleviate whatever disorientation had arisen from hitting his helmet. He stepped back from the vent and looked at her through the 'T' of his visor.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"The air circulator is malfunctioning." He gestured to the square he'd been shoulder-deep in just a moment ago with the welding tool. "A portion of the panel is damaged."

"How far are we from the nearest planet? Are we going to make it there?" She asked, suddenly a little more nervous about this new development.

He only shook his head. "Several days at least. But, it's nothing that puts us in immediate danger. The air'll start to feel stale soon if I don't get it fixed, though."

Effectively calmed, Anwyn hummed her understanding as he stepped back to the square, reaching in as far as he could to fix whatever was wrong with it in the first place.

His red cloak lay on a box a few feet away, perhaps removed so it wouldn't bother him while doing the repair-seeing him without it was a little strange, as she'd gotten so used to his full ensemble. However, with his clunky helmet and bulky armor still in the way, there was no easy way of maneuvering anyway and so the attempt was wasted.

Her eyes took in the vent's size and the height against the wall. "Aren't those vents meant for repair droids?"

"Yes." He chided, leaving it at that. The prickliness was not lost on her. Touchy subject.

He shifted a few times, Anwyn trying to hold back the grin that was surely growing on her face. Watching him try to figure out a way around his obvious problem was more amusing that it probably should have been. The comical dinging of his armor hitting the sides of the vent weren't helping much either.

After another few minutes of no progress, he pulled back from the hole and stepped away. " _Haar'chak_...it's too far back."

Anwyn's ears perked up at the unfamiliar term, and her head tilted. "Harchock...you said that a little earlier. What is that?"

For several seconds, he didn't reply. His chest rose and finally fell with a small sigh, staring at her with some sort of expression behind the helmet. What he was thinking, she'd never begin to guess. Maybe he didn't like questions that pertained to his people? Eventually, though, he set the welding tool down on a nearby box and stretched out his shoulders. "It's Mando'a, the language of Mandalorians."

"I don't have a translator, so...what does Harchock mean?

" _Haar'chak_." He corrected her pronunciation a bit, stressing the first syllable. "It's a curse."

"Like 'fuck?'"

"Closer to 'damn it.'"

She grinned. " _Haar'chak_..." She tried out again, liking the way it rolled from her lips.

"Better." He said neutrally with a nod.

Maybe it was the fact that she knew so little about him that this conversation drew her in so much. They were still little more than strangers, thrown together by circumstance and a business arrangement. And while she figured it was probably smarter to keep some sort of distance between them, she knew her own years of traveling the galaxy completely alone and without a friend would no doubt push her to form a closer bond with her two ship-mates. And seeing as the little green baby couldn't speak, her first choice was the closed-off Mandalorian.

"Tell me another word." She said, curiosity piqued. The language of such a mysterious people would fascinate anyone, surely. Getting comfortable, she sat on one of the cargo boxes and gave the helmeted man her full attention.

"..." His helmet tilted, just so, perhaps caught off guard that she'd wanted to know more. "What else did you want to know?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, looking around the ship for anything that might provide inspiration. With so many things to choose from, she didn't know where to begin. Her eyes settled on the shiny armor of her companion. "What about...bounty hunter?"

" _Beroya._ "

"Are all Mandalorians...beroya?" She decided to ask, trying out the new word with less confidence than him.

"Not all, but most I'm aware of."

"Are there a lot of Mandalorians? You don't see them anywhere." She continued, and his posture became a bit rigid.

"...Not as many as there used to be."

Clearly she was edging towards a subject he didn't like, so she looked around for something more innocent.

"What's the word for red?" Anwyn pointed to his piled-up cloak on the box nearby, and he looked where she was indicating.

" _Ge'tal_."

"What do I call someone if they're an idiot? That might be useful in the future..." She pondered to herself with a smile, though the small pause after her statement from the helmet made it apparent that he didn't think the same.

"They would be a _di'kut_." He said. "Just as you are a _chakaar._ "

Anwyn narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Thief."

She paused, then raised her brows. "Is it an endearing term at least?"

"No."

"Oh."

When it became apparent that Anwyn had run out of words to ask meanings for, he turned his attention back at the vent that was giving them so much trouble. Even now, the ship's air began to taste a little too metallic to be normal. He gave another sigh, he changed the subject. "With my armor, I can't fit through the small space. I'll have to remove it to get further in."

The implication that she leave was pretty glaring. Obviously such a suggestion was uncomfortable. They'd managed so far without bringing up the topic of his armor at all. She knew from rumors that Mandalorians never removed their helmets in the presence of others, something to do with their religious beliefs, and figured it wasn't a good idea to ask directly about it to a man who hunted people like her for a living. She wasn't sure how far her nannying duty would protect her from being thrown into the carbonite chamber if he got angry enough.

Anwyn took another look at the vent, then down at herself, measuring dimensions in her head. "I'm pretty small, you know. I might be able to fit."

He turned to her again, the helmet blank but his body language expressing surprise. "Do you know how to repair an air circulator?"

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Not exactly, but I'm sure you could direct me once I'm up there."

He paused again, glancing between her and the vent in question, before grabbing the welding tool he'd been using before and extending it to her. "I suppose I can."

Accepting the welder, Anwyn stepped up to where the maintenance vent was located, craning her neck up to see into it. Now that she was stood beside it, it was clear that she wouldn't manage to get up to it's height by herself. Her glance at the Mandalorian confirmed he knew it as well.

He cupped his hands together and she graciously placed her boot between them. With a hand on his cold, beskar pauldron, and trying to ignore the moment she was almost directly staring into his visor, she was hoisted up easily. Going hands-first so she'd be able to reach the panel in question, she was able to wiggle herself halfway into the vent without much trouble.

It was also painfully obvious that in doing so, her ass was probably sticking out from the vent, but there really wasn't much she could do about that right now. She only stopped when the tops of her thighs pressed against the wall. The position wasn't exactly comfortable, but her small frame meant that the walls didn't press too hard against her shoulders.

It was tight, the small square shaft meant only for little droids to easily reach areas for maintenance, so it wasn't exactly a pretty sight either. All technical and nothing done for cosmetic purposes. Various wires and lights littered the interior.

"What am I looking for?" She asked once she'd oriented herself. Her voice seemed so much louder within the vent.

"There should be a panel on the right side." She heard distantly.

"Umm..." Her eyes skated around the shaft, searching for what he described. "There's a lot of panels in here. You're gonna have to be more specific."

"There aren't any wires. It'll have a blinking orange light indicating it isn't functioning." He provided patiently.

With this new information, she did another glance around, finally spotting what she thought he was referring to. "Is it a rectangular panel?"

"Should be."

"Alright, I think I found it..." She said, feeling a little out of breath with her forced to lay on her stomach. Her eyes skimmed over the panel, trying to see what it was she was even there for. "Oh...there's a tear in the metal, is that what I'm fixing?"

She wasn't sure how such a thing could have occurred, but they did run through some turbulence the day before while navigating through a asteroid field. Perhaps the jostling had put too much stress on the material.

"Yes, you'll have to seal it. Just try not to touch any of the electrical components or you'll fry the whole system." Was his reply.

Anwyn rolled her eyes to herself. _No pressure now, is there?_

With a glance at the welder in her hand, she brought it closer to the tear and began work. It sparked to life in her hands, scratching out a slew of electric buzzes as it touched the surface of the metal.

She'd seen lots of repairs be done before, mostly from hidden spots within ships while their owners worked mid-hyperdrive. Given there was little entertainment when stowing away on ships, she'd often resort to watching her pilots as they went about their business. She may not be an expert, but she knew the very basics of repair based on what she'd witnessed them do.

Bright sparks shot from the point of contact, but despite the inclination to pull her arm away, she kept it trained on the line of metal that she wanted focus on. Past the buzzing of the tool, she could hear the Mandalorian pacing behind her, perhaps wondering what her progress was but trying to not ask out loud and make it obvious he was antsy. She held back a grin with difficulty.

After a moment, she stopped working, blinking away the spots in her eyes and inspecting her work. It wasn't perfect, but it looked suitable enough. At least, she hoped.

"Is it done?" He called, and she tried inching forward a little to see better her handiwork.

"I think so...I'm no mechanic, but...the light's not blinking anymore, so I think that means it's working?"

"Let's find out..."

"But I'm still in here!" She cried in a sudden panic, worried that if it was done wrong it would explode in her face upon activation or something. "At least let me out first."

"You'll be fine. It's not gonna blow up." He said as if reading her mind, and she heard a few systems begin to click into place.

Her face scrunched up in a wince, awaiting whatever was going to happen. With a small beep, the panel's light began blinking green, and the familiar sound of the air filters circulating and pushing air through the ship started up. A breeze brushed her arms and face. After several seconds of nothing sounding out of place, Anwyn breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she'd managed to help somehow.

"I think everything's working properly." She said, relaxing herself a little to make it easier for him to pull her out. But after several seconds of nothing but silence, no indication that he was reaching to help her at all, she frowned. "I...might need a little help out of here, you know."

Silence. With her arms technically up above her head in this position, it was very difficult to actually shimmy herself backwards.

"Hello?" What the hell was he doing? Anwyn growled under her breath. "Mando!"

With full use of her legs behind her, she extended them in an effort to kick herself backwards a little, but the heel of her boot connected with something hard and sturdy. She heard the man grunt as he was kicked backwards. It was solid enough that she could tell it was his chest plate she'd pushed against. Realizing he hadn't just left her and was just standing there, she huffed in annoyance. "Are you enjoying the fucking _view_ or something?"

"I was testing the system to make sure everything came back normal. Relax." He said in excuse. Then, after a pause. "Not a bad view either, though."

Anwyn scoffed to herself, somewhat speechless that he'd admitted such a thing in the first place, before a laugh burst from her throat. The unexpectedness of it shocked her into amusement, and she pressed her forehead into the vent below her to stifle the laughter.

_So he does have a sense of humor. Good to know._

"Well, come closer then so I can shove my boot somewhere your beskar _doesn't_ cover!" She said louder, though without the venom of her previous statement. This earned her a huffed chuckle from him, almost lost through the modulator, but after a moment she felt his gloved hand wrap around her thighs to begin pulling her from the vent. She tightened her shoulders in to make it easier, finally emerging from the tight space and back into the cargo bay.

The temperature was instantly cooler, and she realized that it had grown several degrees hotter while in the vent due to the small space. He respectfully placed her back on her feet before letting her brush herself down and fix the hair that was stuck in strange places.

She could almost feel his stare through the helmet. Anwyn threw him a smirk and an eye roll as she returned to the mess room to finish the rest of her undoubtedly now-cold meal. Neither really knew how to take the conversation from there, so both just let it drop. But it was a nice start to a not-so-strained mood on the ship. A first since they'd started traveling together. Perhaps it would open the door for a more comfortable atmosphere between the two of them.

He turned away to finish up whatever he needed to, and she ascended the ladder to the upper floor. The brunette took a quick glance at the nav computer in the cockpit again to see their progress along their journey. No closer than they had been when she'd woken up that 'morning.' With a sigh, she told herself to stop watching the navigation so frequently. Not like it would make them fly any faster.

Stepping through the kitchen door, she stopped short and recoiled with a loud gasp. Without really meaning to, she let a breathless "Fuck!"

She heard commotion below, most likely the Mandalorian moving to see what her outburst had been about, and he clamored up the ladder soon after. "What happened?" He asked insistently.

Her eyes were stuck on the plate that was currently levitating above the table, spinning slowly in place. _Levitating. By itself._ Whatever food had been left over from before she got up was now gone, but no remnants of it remained on the table anywhere. Instead of the surprise she'd been expecting from him, Mando only sighed.

"Hey, stop that." She heard him say, brushing past her to grab the plate from midair and set it back down on the table.

Her eyes shot over to the kid still in his seat, who'd had his eyes closed and his hands up towards the plate that had just until a moment ago been floating in place. It took a few seconds to really put the pieces together, but then she pointed at the little green child.

"He...made it _float._ " She summarized. "He can make things float? Without touching them?"

"He's...different." Mando admitted, looking down at the child rather than at her. The green baby looked exhausted, as if whatever he'd just done had taken all of his energy to do. It probably had.

Another thought popped into her head, and she frowned. "You knew and you didn't tell me?" That finally earned his attention.

"The Imperials are hunting him because of his powers. I can't risk the wrong person knowing about it." He explained with more certainty. "I was going to eventually, but I guess the kid had other plans."

"...what is he?"

The answer wasn't immediate, with Mando holding the kid in his arms and staring down at him thoughtfully. "I've been told he's one of the jedi."

"Jedi?" Her brows furrowed.

The word brought back memories of when she was younger, of nights when her step father would drunkenly slander the mythical figures. If his account of their integrity was anything to go by, they weren't legends of paragons. "I thought they were just a superstition."

"Mandalorians consider them our ancient enemy. They must have existed at one point." He went on quietly, his helmet shaking back and forth a little. "I'm hoping there are still some left so I can return him to his people."

Shoving past all the endless questions in her head, Anwyn stared back down at the baby and tried seeing it from Mando's perspective. Things were beginning to make sense now. The bay technician that had stolen him, and the lengths the Imps had been willing to go just to get him back.

The little green child's eyes sleepily blinked up at her, and she wondered not for the first time just how much of their conversation he could understand. Those eyes, so incredibly innocent. Anwyn almost found herself stuck staring into them.

"What else can he do?" She asked quietly.

"He can heal wounds, and...create forcefields, I think." Mando held out his hand, palm facing outward. "He stopped the flames of a trooper's weapons just by holding up his hands."

"How many people know?"

"About his powers?" His helmet shook again. "Besides me and a few trusted people...I have to assume all of the Imperials."

"Shit."

"Mmm."

The baby chose that moment to coo, nuzzling into the Mandalorian's arms to settle into a sleep. Eyes closed, ears down in a resting state, he looked so small. Not at all capable of moving things with his mind alone. Both adults looked down at him for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

Anwyn gave a little scoff then, a thought coming to mind. "You're pretty attached to the little guy...protecting him and bringing him with you all this time. Are you gonna be able to let him go when you do find the jedi?"

 _So are you_ , her mind decided to whisper.

For a time there was no reply. She tried seeing some sign through the reflective beskar helmet, but she could only see her own eyes staring back. Then he shifted forward and placed the now-sleeping baby into her arms.

"This is the Way." He said softly, brushing past her to go back to the cockpit.


	7. The Job, and A Brother's Vengeance

Anwyn looked up at the sound of footsteps, bouncing the small green child on her knee from her spot on one of the Razor Crest's cargo containers. Her beskar-clad companion walked up the metal ramp with intent, his cape fluttering in Llanic's warm wind. He had returned much sooner than expected. Was there trouble? So soon? Whatever might be on his mind was unreadable with the helmet covering his face. Instead, her own worried reflection looked back at her from the shiny surface.

"I've picked up a job." Mando said in response to her stare.

"Oh?" Her eyebrow quirked. "That was quick. We landed 20 minutes ago."

"Eager employers." He explained, passing her by to open the weapons locker further inside. It opened with a clang, his visor scanning the interior for whatever weapon he felt he needed. "A group of thieves has been terrorizing the shop owners. The locals banded together to put a request through the guild."

"I see..." She muttered, bringing the baby closer in her arms and hopping down from the box. The child gave a coo as they moved positions, ears flopping as she stepped closer to him. "Will you be gone long?"

"Shouldn't be. They say their hideout is nearby." He said, inspecting one of his blasters and tucking it into the holster on his hip securely. With practiced ease, he slung the rifle from over his shoulder and set it in the locker to leave behind. Clearly he didn't expect to be needing it in the confines of the city, where the streets were tight and the population would make it hard to utilize the long-range weapon without causing collateral casualties.

"Is this one of those hostile environments you talked about before, then?" Anwyn cocked her head thoughtfully, shifting the child to her other hip when he tried reaching out for Mando's blaster. "I planned on grabbing a few things from the markets while you were gone, but if you want me to stay with the ship..."

"..." Attaching a few stun grenades to his belt and grabbing a second blaster, he finally shut the locker and turned back to his companion. "I'm not sure. Llanic isn't particularly friendly, from what I know of it. Limit your time outside of the ship if you must leave."

"Fair enough." She said with a shrug. No big deal to her.

What she thought was the end of the conversation, turned out not to be. Mando seemed to linger in place, visor gazing down at the wide-eyed baby with thought. His little 3-taloned hand reached out, and the bounty hunter relented, offering the child his gloved finger to hold for a moment. The baby cooed pleasantly, happy that he'd gotten what he'd reached for. Then, as if collecting himself, Mando straightened and his helmet faced her directly.

"Come with me." He turned and began ascending the short ladder up to the ship's second level.

Anwyn frowned, confused, but followed after him nonetheless. Cradling the baby into her hip with one hand, who whimpered a little as his caretaker retracted his hand away, she was a bit slower going up than he had been. He was already in the cockpit by the time she made it to the second floor.

Mando pointed to a specific panel on the left side of the ship controls, drawing her attention. "The ship is fitted with ground security protocols. Once activated, no one will be able to get inside, no matter how hard they try. You won't be able to fly, but it'll provide enough protection to keep you both safe if I'm not here."

Anwyn was about to retort that she could handle herself, but her memory if the shoot-out in front of Mando's ship on Bothawui still left her shivering at times. Just how close some of those blaster shots had been...Clearly she wasn't used to face-to-face combat quite yet.

"Do you expect trouble dangerous enough that I'll need it?" She questioned instead, frown deepening.

"No. Better to be prepared than dead, though." He reasoned with a quick tilt of his head. "If anything happens, activate it and wait for me to return."

"Ok." She agreed.

And still, he hesitated.

"One more thing." He said, taking the second blaster from his belt and holding it out to her. "Take this."

Her eyes flicked down to the weapon, inspecting it quickly, before rising up to his visor. "Why?"

"Just...in case. I'll feel better knowing you're armed while out with the kid."

Despite taking the offered weapon, she rolled her eyes and gave him an amused smile. "Don't worry so much. We'll stay out of trouble."

She couldn't see his expression, but his silent response clearly displayed his doubt. Anwyn's smile widened, tilting her head in emphasis. "Really, Mando. Just trust me. I'll keep him safe."

A quiet nod was his only reply, perhaps believing the conviction in her tone, before she stepped aside to allow him out of the cockpit. "I'll return soon."

Anwyn watched him disappear down the ladder to the cargo hold, before his booted steps on the metal flooring faded until they stopped altogether. The brunette turned to look at the child, who's expression was clearly unhappy. His worrying cries rose in pitch once they were alone again.

"Oh, don't cry. He'll be back before you know it." Rubbing at his floppy ears to try cheering him up, she smiled and went to bring him to the kitchen. "What do you say we give you a bath, huh?"

* * *

Predictably, bathing the little green baby was a very wet affair. He was just a bit too large to reasonably wash him in the sink, so she filled up the biggest bucket she could find and set it on the ground. He splashed and smacked at the water with a toothy smile, thoroughly enjoying himself and causing a big puddle on the floor. Her knees and the front of her shirt were now soaked from all his playing around.

With the green jedi baby now scrubbed clean and throughly cheered up from missing his bounty hunter guardian, Anwyn wrapped him in a clean towel and set him beside her, starting work on washing his robe. It felt soft in her hands, the threads strong and made with quality cloth. There was no decorative stitching or special touches. It was as bland of a robe as it could be, which struck her as odd, since it was a child's garment. Many cultures preferred dressing their children in bright colors and decorative trinkets, but this had nothing of the sort.

Hidden in the folds of the fabric were stains of what she thought was probably a combination of snot and drool and, hopefully, not blood. Though considering who his guardian was there was a distinct possibility it was. She scrubbed eagerly at those spots in particular, coloring the water an ugly brownish-gray and putting her full focus into cleaning.

In her moment of concentration on something other than the mischievous baby, so began his game of escaping the confines of his towel. The shrieking, giggling child managed to waddle out of the kitchen with surprising speed, causing her head to snap to where he disappeared behind the door. His tiny feet slapped against the metal flooring.

"Where do you think you're going?" She called in amusement, dropping his robe into the bucket of water she'd been soaking it in and shaking her hands to get rid of the excess water. A squeal of laughter was the only reply. Grabbing his discarded towel, she stood and hurried into the other room to see him ducking into the cockpit.

"You're gonna get the seats all wet!" She said with a chuckle, rounding into the room and making a beeline for the pilot's chair. "Mando's gonna be real mad when he gets back."

She stopped, no sign of the child when she looked over the top of the chair and into the seat. Another playful laugh below the console board widened her smile. Dropping to her knees, she peered into the darkened underside of the controls, looking for the kid's signature big, green ears.

"Come out, come out...Anwyn's gonna find you~!" She sang warmly, crawling forward until she couldn't go forward any further. There wasn't much space for the kid to be under here, but she still couldn't find the little bugger.

Tiny feet ran along her boot, and she whipped around to see the runaway kid leaving the cockpit, a flurry of water drops falling from his long ears.

"Oh, you're a wily little thing, aren't you?" Anwyn chuckled, backing herself out of the console and clambering to her feet. The towel gripped in one hand, she rushed out and spotted the kid glancing back at her as he ran towards the end of the hallway. His wide smile was infectious. "Come here, you!"

He shrieked and gurgled in good fun, turning to suddenly duck into one of the rooms off to the side. Only a second behind him, she stooped down just inside the doorway and snatched up his wet little body to snuggly wrap him in the towel.

"Jeez, you're fast on those tiny little feet." She said, wrestling with the squirming child who smiled a toothy grin up at her. Rubbing the towel against his body to wipe up the rest of the water, she looked up and suddenly made the realization of what room the child had lead her into.

Mando's room.

It was dark, small and slightly cramped. Her eyes drifted across what the hallway light allowed her to distinguish; an unmade cot, without much padding. A heavy trunk, perhaps with clothing or other personal affects against the right wall. But...not much else. Practical. Quiet. It was bare, lacking any personal touches or trinkets. Very similar to the Razor Crest's cockpit.

Anwyn had traveled on many a ship through her nomadic thieving, and one of the constants she'd encountered was a sense of space in each pilot's cockpit. Trophies, a cultural banner on a back wall, even bobbling knick knacks that had no practical purpose other than to draw the pilot's eye on long spaceflights through the galaxy. Small bits of personality gleaned through these meaningless dressings in the most intimate space in any ship she'd stowed away on.

Mando had none of that. Other than his cargo, rations, and weapons, the Razor Crest was as good as empty. As blank and cold as the beskar he armored himself with. And even in his most private space, there was barely a speck of color in sight. And she really didn't know what to make of it. He'd always come across as distant. Mandalorians were mysterious by nature. But she'd expected that he still had his moments of humanity. A time and place where he unwound and became the man under the helmet, rather than the bounty hunter he needed to be outside of the Razor Crest's walls.

The child's squirming lessened, perhaps sensing Anwyn's quickly sobering mood. She bounced him gently in her arms while she stared, finally coming to the realization that she probably shouldn't be in here. Invading his personal space would no doubt make her companion angry. The uncomfortable feeling in her gut had her turning on her heel and allowing the door to close behind her. Quietly returning to the kitchen, she shook her head to stop the running thoughts.

* * *

Llanic's market spread out over most of the main walkway of the city, small pop-up shops set up either side for customers to inspect as they passed. The city streets weren't far off from Mos Eisley in structure: a wide, main road with many branching streets leading out from it. The labyrinth-like design was impossible to navigate for the average traveler, memorized and traveled only by the locals who knew the complex network of alleys after years of living there.

Really, the only difference between here and the desert space port was...well, the desert. Lush trees and a glistening ocean just north of the docking bay brought a coolness to the air when the warming wind ceased. The mixture was comforting, gave her a sense of ease as she walked the meager crowds. As if the atmosphere itself were cradling her in it's arms, beckoning peace.

For such a large city, there weren't a lot of travelers out and about. Llanic wasn't exactly a paradise, even if the environment made you want to believe so. Perhaps it simply put on a better veil of safety and security than Mos Eisley. There, at least you knew what you were getting into the moment you stepped foot into the city limits. Here, the flowers and gentle weather welcomed you openly. Anwyn would have certainly been lulled if she hadn't already been here before.

That abundance of life the ocean promised echoed into the flora and fauna alike, colorful flowers and vine-like plants climbing the sides of the buildings either side of the road. Small, furry creatures darted in between moving feet, searching for their next meal in the alleyways.

With the baby in the sling on her hip, she meandered down the main road, eyes flitting between stalls, seeking anything they might need to resupply the Razor Crest with before departure. Several cultural stalls caught her interest, but she wasn't here to linger. As Mando had suggested, better to get the shopping done with quickly to avoid unnecessary danger. A tip she was more than willing to take to heart, considering.

Her first clue that something was off was the pale-haired Hrakian standing in the alleyway. Trying-and failing-to inconspicuously hold his blaster at his side in a casual stance, his orange eyes bored into her from across the path. Anwyn didn't let her eyes pause, passing the alley with a neutral expression, as if she hadn't noticed the man at all.

But she had. And although a single man staring at her wasn't cause for too much concern, the presence of the child made it all the more dangerous to have attention. Her throat constricted in a dry swallow.

Before she could ask herself if Llanic was a militaristic planet that posted armed guards around the city to keep peace, she felt another pair of eyes staring at her from another direction. Pretending to be looking for a particular stall, she swept her gaze past the area she felt it coming from.

An Arcona. Salt-addicted from the looks of it, his golden-glazed eyes unmistakable against his oily skin. They were trained on her, holding a device up to his mouth suspiciously. When she looked his way, he turned his head elsewhere, clearly hoping she didn't suspect him. Too late.

 _Fuck._ Her teeth clenched inside her mouth, a buzz of warning going off on the back of her neck. Neither of them had looked Imperial, but there were plenty of other organizations in the galaxy that could possibly want the kid. Maybe they were flesh traffickers. Exotic animal traders. Or grifters, though less likely from their clear display of weaponry. Mind racing with what to do, she nearly missed the third armed man, a Twi'Lek leaning easily against the alley she passed.

None of them had made a move yet, but she wasn't stupid. Something was wrong.

Her grip on the baby's carrier tightening, the brunette nearly turned in place and walked back the way she'd come. But that would clearly give up the fact she'd caught on, and it may be in her best interest to keep pretending she was none the wiser. Maybe she'd manage to lose them in the maze of side streets, since a slow day in the markets meant losing tails in a crowd wouldn't work this time around.

Forcing her feet forward and a relaxed expression in place, Anwyn drifted over towards another stall, pretending to be interested in the sacks of exotic spices the human had laid out in display. The baby reached out to the edge of the table, no doubt smelling the spicy musk that permeated from the stall. She gently tucked his arm back in the sling so he couldn't grab anything he shouldn't, but kept a hold of it to ground herself and maybe provide some comfort to the kid. The back of her neck burned, with a strange feeling of claustrophobia pressing into her shoulders.

_Closing in..._

As if it weren't out of the ordinary, Anwyn straightened from the stall without a word and began walking down the narrow street beside it. Grabbing the top flap of the sling, she closed it over the baby's head, hiding him as best she could and offering him a thin veil of protection from whatever might come to pass. Not that a layer of fabric would actually do much, but the action made her feel like she was still somehow protecting him. So much for her promise of staying out of trouble...

Heart beating in her chest, breaths shallow from adrenaline, Anwyn listened intently behind her for the tell-tale signs of a pursuit. And sure enough, not ten steps down the alley, she could hear several people following her from a small distance. If they were attempting to soften the sound of their feet, it definitely wasn't working.

The weight of the blaster on her waistband burned, though with so many opponents she'd be all but useless in a straight up confrontation. Shooting her problems away wasn't her style. But she had a feeling her tune would change quickly if her time with the bounty hunter so far was any indication.

The moment she turned the corner and out of their sight, she broke into a run, hoping to put enough distance between her and the men following to lose them down another turn. The baby cooed in surprise, bumping against her hip as she ran, then pivoted to swing a sudden right when another side street came into view.

"Shh!" She begged quietly, hoping he'd get the hint and stop making noise.

Anwyn didn't stop, intent on losing her pursuers as quickly as possible and finding her way back to the market. Even when they cursed in frustration as they reached the edge of the first alley to see her gone, she kept going, weaving a confusing path through the small pathways until she was confident they didn't know where she went. Hopefully this would somehow lead back towards the direction of the ship.

Coming up on another turn, Anwyn let out a huff of breath, then ducked into it hastily.

The sight of a very large and intimidatingly muscular Devaronian that blocked her path made her scramble to stop before she barged head-first into him.

"Shit!" She muttered under her breath with wide eyes, attempting to turn in place and go the other direction. Too late. A strong hand clamped around her neck, throwing her back-first against the concrete wall beside them. "Uoff!" The impact snatched away all the air in her lungs, her head hitting it a split second after.

"The fuck...do you want?" She ground out after a moment of coughing, her hands reaching up to try prying the bulky hand from her neck. It was like iron around her throat, not tight enough to constrict her breathing but not budging an inch either. Even her futile attempts at kicking him away did nothing, her legs too short to reach him. He didn't reply, just stared at her with his pale green eyes as he watched her struggle to free herself.

At this point, the kid was crying in the bag at her hip, squirming to try getting the flap off his head, but she couldn't do much for him now. She paused, suddenly remembering the blaster at the back of her waistband-she blamed her head being smacked into the wall for the hesitation-then reached behind her to grab at it in a panic.

The Devaronian must have expected as much, because his other hand snatched her wrist the moment the weapon was free, pressing her limb to the wall and forcing her to drop the blaster to the ground with a pathetic clatter. Anwyn grit her teeth, wincing at just how tight his grip was.

"Let me go!" She growled.

"Well, well, well..." A gravelly voice said, and Anwyn shot her gaze to the left, where a deep-yellow skinned Zabrakian walked into view. Beside him were the three other armed men she'd seen in the market, glaring at her with distaste. The Zabrakian's darkened eyes trained on the captured thief, who frowned at him in confusion. "I didn't think you'd really be stupid enough to ever show up here again. Or maybe you thought I wouldn't recognize you? Tch."

His words made her look at him closer, trying to jog a memory as to how they apparently knew each other. His horns were a rustic brown, pairing with the harsh yellow of his skin. His clothes weren't fancy. Not far off from the sort of practical things she herself wore. Fitted, smooth, and if she were to guess, full of hidden pockets and sleeves to hide things in.

Her first stint in Llanic had only been a few weeks, but it all started coming back to her now, recognizing the bandana hanging around his neck. A pattern that she'd thought strange and beautiful the first time she'd seen it.

Pushing aside the anxiety that this was definitely not a happy reunion, and also relieved that this wasn't about the kid after all, Anwyn forced a surprised smile on her face. "Deveen! Heh, I didn't recognize you at first but...wow, it's been too long. You look great, by the way. How's Gorla?"

Taking a step up beside the Devaronian holding her against the wall, gesturing to him in some sort of signal. He released her throat and arm. Temporarily distracted by the relief of being freed, she did not react in time to block the punch he threw at her stomach.

"Gruugh!" She grunted, doubling over from the blow to drop on her knees. The sling's strap slipped from her shoulders, and the whole thing landed on the ground with a thump.

"Still in prison." He snarled. "The same one you got him sent to when you set us up!"

"Ugh..." She mumbled, spitting out whatever liquid was in her mouth. Her stomach churned with bile, feeling suddenly nauseous, but she held it back with an iron will. Puking in front of these guys wasn't really a great thought. The baby kept crying, and she had the forethought enough to place her hand where his head would be under the flap, hoping to calm him.

A few of the men chuckled their amusement at seeing her pain, but she looked up at the man who stood with both fists clenched together in anger. "Set up? I think there's...been a misunderstanding here." Anwyn tried to say, holding up a hand in defense, but he yanked her back to her feet and shoved her back against the wall by her shoulder. He brandished a sharp knife just under her chin within the same motion.

"I'm sorry about your brother!" She tried, the heat of his breath forcing her to stop herself from curling her nose in disgust. The point of the knife poked harder with each word. "I am. But if you really think I ratted you out to the republic-"

"How else did they know where we would hit next?" He muttered, jaw clenching as his anger grew. His fingers clenched and adjusted around the knife hilt, fidgeting nervously. "That information couldn't have come from anyone other than inside the group."

"Like I'm supposed to know!" She retorted, frowning. "No one knew what the fuck was going on. Their jammers ripped our comms to shreds but Gorla wanted to hit the place anyway. What did you think was gonna happen, Dev?"

Deveen growled lower at the nickname, head tilting as he searched her face for some sort of sign that she was lying. The knife didn't move, a sign that he was still on edge. But her poker face was excellent and half of it was true anyway. That night, their leader made a bad call and they all paid the price for it.

"Gorla got cocky, made a bad decision. We slipped up. That's it." She pressed quietly, holding his gaze. His dark eyes flicked between hers, searching for any sign of insincerity. His breathing was shallow. Quick. Contemplating.

Anwyn suddenly realized that the baby had gone quiet. She didn't dare risk glancing at the little guy, in case Deveen or any of his men decided they wanted to know what he was or why she had him. The less they paid attention to the abby, the better. Her past rapport with Deveen she could use to her advantage, but none of his men were people she recognized from the original group they ran with. Probably newer recruits.

"Why'd you leave, then?" He asked insistently, brows rising. The knife finally moved from her throat, choosing to point down the alley in what she assumed was the direction of the space port. "Why take the first ship off this planet if you had nothing to do with it? Looks awfully suspicious, doesn't it?"

Anwyn closed her eyes for a second or two, before pinning her with a hard stare.

"You really think I was gonna stick around with the republic coming down as hard as they were? This isn't my home like it is yours." She retorted, feeling more confident as the conversation went on. The anger was still present in his expression, but it no longer marked his face with harsh lines and a fiery hatred behind his eyes. It was calmer.

Her shoulder gave a dismissive shrug, voice growing quiet. "So yeah, I ran. I was a coward. Not my finest moment, I'll admit, but I wouldn't betray you. Not _you_ , Dev."

His eye twitched, but there was otherwise no other response. They'd been on good terms when she'd last seen him, though she assumed he held warmer feelings for her than what she could have ever reciprocated. Having someone on her side with an in to the group's leader had been an appealing thought at the time. Unfortunately, the botched job had happened before she could have used that connection to her advantage.

His hand gripping the knife was held low, beside his hip. Less of a threat but still present. Behind him, Deveen's men exchanged glances, confused as to why their leader hadn't killed her yet. Leader...ah, something she could use.

"I mean, look at you." She continued, gesturing at his chest with a growing smile. "Leading the group, organizing them like Gorla never could? I'm sure it wasn't easy after he was arrested, but you're still here, still kicking...I always knew you would make a better leader than him."

Deveen's brow raised in a mixture of amusement and incredulity. "...yeah?"

"Yeah." She breathed. Sensing that he was to a point where he wouldn't outright kill her now, she dared to reach out and stroke the lapel of his tattered jacket, as if admiring it from under her lashes. "Always so smart and cunning, thinking further ahead, of the next step and the step after that..."

Her fingers drifted lower, but Deveen's hand stopped her, gaze boring into hers. "You were always better than Gorla. Smarter. Resourceful. And more..."

A pause, and the Zabrakian's eyes narrowed. "...more?"

Anwyn's smile widened, hoping the disgust in her chest wasn't showing through her eyes. "Captivating."

Eventually his eyes left hers, drifting lower to the space between them, as if really seeing her for the first time. Anwyn let out a breath and held back a grimace, feeling the way his hand on her shoulder ghosted up towards the side of her neck. Gently in a caress.

The brunette had never found the yellow-skinned man attractive. In fact, the crooked horns on his head made her queasy and the way his eyes looked so angry and dark was unnerving. So she hoped the disturbed shiver running down her spine would be taken as anticipation instead to her Zabrakian captor.

"Now that I'm back...what's say we take this reunion somewhere else?" She ventured, finally cashing in on all of her negotiation. Her smiled quirked, feeling the way his fingers crossed the column of her throat, swirling a small circle between the center of her collarbone. "Somewhere a little more...comfortable? I've thought about you a lot since that day."

"Oh, darling," he muttered in a small smile, gaze still centered squarely on her neck, "you think I'm really that stupid to believe you?"

Anwyn stilled in cold fear, their gazes connecting again. And before she could utter another word, his hand shifted to vise around her throat, pressing her harshly into the concrete wall. She scrambled against his grip, mouth open in an attempt to gasp for air even as he put away his knife and placed his other hand on top of the other, squeezing with rage.

"Before Gorla, I might've believe you...but I'm not the naive man you thought you could twist around your little finger anymore." He whispered menacingly in her ear, listening to her gasped whimpers with delight. Her feet once again kicked uselessly at him, struggling for dear life to suck in any sort of air. "You're not as convincing as you think you are."

"N-nngh! Hahh!" She gasped, face growing hot as panic and the burning of her lungs began clouding her head.

The air came alive with the sound of shrill whistles. The thugs lifted their weapons, ready for whatever was coming to appear. Deveen's hold around her neck lessened just a moment before tiny projectiles came whizzing into sight, homing in on all five of the men surrounding her. They weren't prepared, and all of the targets stiffened and collapsed as the rockets came speeding into their necks.

"Haaugh!" Deveen cried, head snapping back as his own missle dug itself under his jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground alongside his men.

Anwyn collapsed to her knees in a fit of coughing, greedily sucking in long breaths of air. The relief of not being choked to death trumped all else, even the curiosity of who had seemingly saved her from Deveen's anger. The burn of lack of oxygen was replaced with the ache of taking in too much in a desperation to fill her lungs. Slow footsteps approached, and she waited for the anticipated order to put her hands up. Perhaps the Republic had found them and thought it was some spice deal gone-

"What happened to staying out of trouble?"

Surprise overcoming the burning in her chest, she lifted her head and stared up at the silver-clad Mandalorian, blaster held loosely at his side. His vambrace closed with a snap, but not before she saw a dozen or so tiny little holes. Most likely where the tiny missiles had come from.

"Not my fault...when the trouble finds me." She croaked, composing herself enough to check on the baby still sitting in the sling on the ground. Opening the flap, she saw that he was fine, though worried from the obvious frown and drooping of his ears. All the commotion had no doubt given him a scare.

Her gaze returned to her companion, who was checking on the kid as well, glad to see he was safe. She hadn't been expecting him here for at least several hours. "What happened to the job?"

"I cleared the thieve's hideout earlier." His helmet gestured towards the dead thieves on the ground beside them. "They were the last stragglers."

"Huh." She muttered, putting two and two together. When he'd said the locals had put in a bounty for a group of thieves, her time here hadn't even crossed her mind. "I guess I should have expected they were your targets. Just didn't think about it."

"It sounded like you had history with them." He mentioned, stepping away to crouch next to one of the fallen men, the Arconan.

"Yeah...long time ago. Spent 3 weeks here hiding out from Imps. They were looking for people to fill their numbers, and were offering a place to stay. It was a good arrangement at the time." She explained, leaving it at that.

"Hmm."

Anwyn watched him search the rest of the corpses, before furrowing her brow. The only way he could have known her association with them was if he'd been listening. "Wait...how long were you standing there before killing them?"

"A few minutes."

Her brows lifted in shock. "And you didn't help?"

"Seemed like you were handling things." He replied evenly, distracted by checking his targets with the tracking fob. "Until you weren't."

Anwyn scoffed and shook her head, but didn't say anything further, choosing instead to bounce the kid in her arms until his frown was gone. She waited for him to finish, everything that had just transpired running through her head. It had all happened so fast once things went downhill. And if not for the Mandalorian, she'd be dead. Clearly, Deveen had been right in the end.

"Thanks for stepping in." She finally said, smiling tiredly. "I guess my negotiation skills need some work."


End file.
